Man shot and killed by NC deputy was pointing gun at officer, sheriff’s office says
A Sampson County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a man Sunday in Salemburg who had been the subject of a manhunt earlier in the day, officials said.
In a news release, the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office said the deputy stopped a pickup truck at the intersection of Laurel Lake and Lakewood School roads around 1:09 p.m.
The driver was Craig Locklear, 49, who that morning had fled from another vehicle he was driving on N.C. 24 while being pursued by Cumberland and Sampson county sheriff’s deputies who “believed the driver to be impaired,” the news release stated.
Deputies who chased Locklear checked his license plate and learned he was wanted in Cumberland County on three domestic abuse charges, including assault on a female, communicating threats and cyber stalking.
Locklear was “visibly in possession of a handgun” as he fled into the woods, according to the release.
Deputies used dogs and thermal camera-enabled drones to search the area, but could not find him.
Sampson County deputies continued patrolling the Laurel Lake and Bonnetsville areas after the search was suspended.
That’s when a deputy, whose name has not been released, stopped a vehicle believed to be associated with Locklear.
As the deputy approached, Locklear jumped out of the pickup truck bed and pointed a .357 revolver at the deputy, the release stated.
The officer then fired his gun, fatally injuring Locklear.
“Life saving measures” were performed, the release stated, but Locklear died at the scene.
The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation is investigating, which the sheriff’s office said is protocol in North Carolina when a deputy is involved in a shooting.
This story was originally published July 4, 2021 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Man shot and killed by NC deputy was pointing gun at officer, sheriff’s office says."
