The body of Andrew Michaelis will be sent to the state Medical Examiner's Office today to determine how he died, the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said.
Michaelis, 41, of the 900 block of Bramblegate Road in Hope Mills, was killed during a shoot-out with law enforcement officers in the Acorn Ridge neighborhood off Crystal Springs Road Wednesday morning, Sheriff Moose Butler said.
The shoot-out ended a rampage in which Michaelis sprayed the New Moon Drive home of his father-in-law, Gary Simpson, 61, at least twice with rounds from an assault-style rifle, Butler said.
Simpson and his 10-year-old grandson, Trekwan Covington, died in the barrage of gunfire.
The shootings happened after a domestic incident at Michaelis' home about 7 a.m., Butler said.
A deputy who had responded minutes earlier to a domestic-related call at the residence off Crystal Springs Road was injured.
Michaelis, a former soldier, fired into the modular home from his white Chevrolet S-10 pickup as he drove past, Butler said.
At least five others inside the home, including Michaelis' wife, Valerie, and 13-year-old son, Ryan, escaped injury, Butler said.
Michaelis drove away after the shootings, abandoning his truck about a block away at Elcar and Voyager drives, Butler said.
Michaelis ran into the woods, following a path that goes behind homes on Saltwood Drive in the Acorn Ridge neighborhood, Butler said.
Michaelis was found dead behind one of those homes after exchanging gunfire with lawmen, Butler said.
The injured deputy remains at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center after undergoing emergency surgery Wednesday, Butler said. The deputy, who has not been identified, is in critical but stable condition, a Sheriff's Office spokeswoman said this morning.
Investigators hope an autopsy will show whether Angelis was killed by deputies or shot himself, Butler said.
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McClatchy-Tribune News Service
