In a tense pre-dawn standoff in southern Wake County, shots rang out between deputies and a man who had reportedly been threatening self-harm. The confrontation left the man critically injured and one deputy hurt, as confirmed by the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident unfolded just before 1:30 a.m. on Benar Drive, where deputies responded following an emergency call regarding a 32-year-old man's threats to himself. Upon their arrival, "the man was injured in a shootout with deputies when he fired at deputies and the deputies returned fire," as indicated in a report by WRAL News. The man, identified as Brian Jacob Monroe, now lies in critical condition at the hospital.
A deputy was also caught in the crossfire but has since been treated and released from a hospital, as mentioned by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and reported by CBS17.
Details of the shooting were further corroborated by radio communications with clear urgency, captured via Broadcastify: "Shots fired, shots fired, send units." Such transmissions captured the intense scene deputies faced, suggested by the seriousness of Monroe's injuries. A standard investigation is now underway by the SBI, and the Wake County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) will conduct their own review, as per protocol mentioned by WRAL News.
The SBI's investigation will seek to provide a clearer picture of the events leading up to the shooting and determine the appropriateness of the deputies' actions.
