N.C. Sheriff's K-9 Killed in Shootout with Armed Robbery Suspect
By Julian Shen-Berro
Source The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
A Franklin County Sheriff's Office police dog was killed after deputies and an armed robbery suspect exchanged gunshots Sunday morning, according to authorities.
William Darius Eichelberger, 21, has been charged with seven felonies, said Terry Hobgood, a spokesperson for the Granville County Sheriff's Office.
Eichelberger is accused of stealing a car around 3:15 p.m. Saturday in the unincorporated Antioch community in Granville County, the sheriff's office said in a news release.
Deputies canvassed the area Saturday night but could not find him, according to the news release.
The next day, authorities responded to a "suspicious fire" on Richard Lane near Antioch Road, finding Eichelberger in the crawl space of a house, Hobgood said.
Franklin County deputies were helping to clear the crawl space when authorities say Eichelberger fired shots at them.
Franklin deputies returned fire but did not strike him, Hobgood said.
A K-9 police dog died from a gunshot wound, authorities said. No deputies were harmed during the incident.
A crisis negotiator later persuaded Eichelberger to come out and surrender, officials said.
Deputies found an "assault-style rifle" beneath the house, according to the news release.
Eichelberger has been placed under $250,000 bail in Granville County and more charges are expected to be filed against him, authorities said.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations will investigate the incident, as is standard when law enforcement officers fire their weapon.
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