HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WSPA) – Henderson County Sheriff’s Office officials said both a deputy and a suspect have died after a shooting early Thursday morning.
Sheriff’s office officials said deputies responded at about 2:50 a.m. to a home in the 200 block of Bethea Drive in the Mountain Home community for a report of someone breaking into a vehicle.
Henderson County Sheriff Lowell Griffin said a homeowner spotted a car outside their home which had been involved in a crash. A short time later, the sheriff said the homeowner saw someone breaking into their vehicle and yelled at the suspect to stop.
The suspect approached the home and broke the bedroom window with a crowbar, according to the sheriff.
A resident at the home retrieved a gun and went to the porch where he saw the suspect grab a gun which was hidden inside his vehicle, the sheriff said.
The sheriff said there was an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and the homeowner.
The homeowner was not hurt and the sheriff said it was unclear if the suspect was hit by gunfire.
When deputies arrived on scene, they found the suspect in a pickup truck parked in a driveway across the road from the location of the original incident.
Sheriff Griffin said the suspect initially appeared to comply with orders to show his hands but quickly grabbed a gun and fired one shot, striking a deputy in the face.
Two other deputies returned fire, killing the suspect.
The deputy who was hit, 35-year-old Ryan Hendrix, was taken to Mission Hospital where he later died.
Sheriff Griffin said Hendrix was a Marine veteran with two kids who had been with the department for eight years. Hendrix was engaged and was set to be married in October, Sheriff Griffin said.
Hendrix died just before 1:00pm, according to the sheriff’s office.
Hendrix’s family, through the sheriff’s office, released this statement: “Ryan was doing the job he was born to do and he died doing the job he loved.”
The suspect has been identified as Robert Ray Doss, Jr.
Doss was wanted by the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services, according to the sheriff.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has taken over the shooting investigation.
The SBI and Henderson County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit responded to the scene, according to the sheriff’s office. 7 News crews on scene said Henderson County SWAT, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Fletcher Police Department and Hendersonville Police Department were also present.