PARKTON, North Carolina — A man who fired at law enforcement in a Robeson County neighborhood triggered a standoff that lasted more than eight hours Sunday, with a barrage of gunfire at one point that could be heard from a half-mile away.
A state trooper was hit by gunfire early in the standoff but was not seriously injured, according to emergency workers at the scene.
The incident began just after 3 p.m. on a cul-de-sac just outside Parkton, and by 10:30 p.m. there was still no official word about the fate of the man. Law enforcement had apparently entered the two-story home and were going through it, using remote devices. At least 50 local and state law enforcement officers were at the scene, and the neighborhood remained evacuated.
Beverly McDonald lives across the street from where the shootout was happening on Acadiana Drive. She said at around 3:10 or 3:15 p.m., she heard two or three shots and looked out the window to see a Robeson County sheriff's deputy running behind a truck.
"I saw the cop," McDonald said. "I saw (my neighbor) shooting at the cop. 'Bang, bang, bang!' And the cop ran and jumped behind the truck. A few minutes later, there was a howling of sirens, and the block was covered in police cars. I couldn't count them all."
Law enforcement ordered everyone into their homes, including John and Paula Matt, who live near the house.
"I did as they said," said Paula Matt, "but John stayed out working on a fence. The police were yelling at him, 'Get in the house, get in the house.' That's when I realized he had his earbuds in and was listening to music. I ran out, waved my hands in his face and got him inside."
Authorities surrounded the house after the shots were fired. It was not clear what initially brought the sheriff's deputy to the home.
Law enforcement officials from Robeson and Cumberland counties evacuated neighboring houses and closed the area to traffic. They then began trying to contact the man, and a hostage negotiator was called. Sources at the scene indicated the man was alone in the home.
Around 6:45 p.m., lawmen were heard on their radios saying they were entering the house with a robotic device. Soon after, automatic gunfire erupted for about 15 seconds. Reporters and the neighbors could hear the hail of bullets along Church Road, several blocks away where deputies had set up the roadblock.
Not long after, a law enforcement agent indicated to a reporter that the man was incapacitated. But as the night wore on, it appeared as if officers weren't sure whether the man was injured or killed, and they cautiously began moving through the house.
Neighbors said they know the man fairly well. They described him as a friendly guy who often joined in the neighborhood barbecues. The Observer was not able to confirm the man's identity with law enforcement.
"In fact, we had one yesterday," McDonald said. "But he didn't show up. His shades were all drawn at his house, which was unusual. I remember thinking how strange that was."
Parkton Town Commissioner Nate Solomon, who lives on the street, said he talks to the man nearly every day. He was at church Sunday when the shooting began. Late Sunday, he was waiting with about 15 other people along Church Street, several blocks away from their evacuated neighborhood.
"It's just a terrible thing," Solomon said.
Staff writer Chick Jacobs can be reached at 486-3515 or [email protected]
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