HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. (WSPA) – A deputy was injured and a suspect was killed during a shootout Tuesday morning in Haywood County.
According to the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, a deputy and two Canton police officers responded to a suspect armed with a rifle on Old Asheville Highway near Canton just after 2 a.m.
Upon arrival, Chief Deputy Jeff Haynes said the suspect fired at officers and shot a deputy.
Authorities opened fire in return and shot and killed the suspect.
The SBI said the suspect was standing on a billboard when the shooting happened.
The injured deputy, identified as Eric Batchelor, is in stable condition following surgery.
According to the SBI, the suspect was identified as 32-year-old Jacob Wilbur Wright of Canton.
Highway 23 near Briar Patch Road was shut down in both directions for several hours as a result of the shooting.
WSPA has reached out to NCSBI, Haywood County Sheriff’s Office and Canton Police.
More headlines from CBS17.com:
- Triangle-area colleges report wave of COVID-19 cases as semester begins
- Activists want Biden to defund ICE, overhaul migrant detention policies
- Nearly 1,300 COVID-19 vaccine doses wasted in NC, officials say
- Police investigating after body found in Durham neighborhood
- NC attorney general calls for federal ban of menthol cigarettes