A man was fatally shot by law enforcement after a standoff in Catawba County, as sheriff's deputies responded to a situation that began with a suicide threat. The Catawba County Sheriff's Office disclosed that deputies arrived at a home on Rifle Range Road at around 8:40 p.m. yesterday, encountering an armed man identified as Michael Rose who was not responsive to negotiation attempts, according to a report by WCNC.
As the evening wore on, deputies successfully escorted an elderly woman to safety from the home, despite Rose's refusal to disarm or engage in dialogue with law enforcement, efforts continued well into the night with the assistance of the Special Tactics and Response (STAR) team along with the Crisis Intervention and De-escalation team but they were also unsuccessful in their attempts to communicate with Rose, and just before 9:30 p.m., an involuntary commitment order was issued, which would allow deputies to transport Rose to a hospital for evaluation, as WBTV reported.
At approximately 1 a.m. today, members of the STAR team claimed to hear a suspected gunshot from within the residence followed by visible smoke, leading them to make entry into the house to attempt a rescue of Rose at this juncture, it's alleged that Rose fired upon the STAR team members, who then returned fire, resulting in Rose's death, as reported by QC News.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) is currently looking into the shooting, which is a standard procedure following officer-involved shootings, this incident marks at least the fourth officer-involved shooting in Catawba County within a six-month period; the Catawba County Sheriff's Office has stated they are "fully cooperating" with the ongoing state investigation, according to WCNC and WBTV.
