During a standoff with a gunman in North Carolina on Wednesday night, Deputy Chris Fleming was accidentally shot in the shoulder by Davie County Sheriff Andy Stokes.
After the incident, Nicholas Scott Tilley, 19, was charged with attempted first-degree murder and felony assault on a law-enforcement animal. Tilley fatally wounded a police dog during the altercation.
When Fleming confronted Tilley inside a mobile home, the suspect fired a 12-gauge shotgun at the deputy and the police dog, Gorky. While Stokes and other officers attempted to provide cover fire, the sheriff unintentionally shot Fleming in the right shoulder.
“I am the person who shot my own deputy last night,” Stokes told the Winston-Salem Journal. “He understood the situation. He’s a cop. He understood the necessity of it.”
Fleming, 27, is expected to make a full recovery.
The incident began because there was an arrest warrant out for Tilley in connection with a New Year’s Day home invasion. “(Tilley) was prepared,” Stokes said. “This was an ambush. The officers could not see him. When he saw the dog, he started shooting.”
Tilley’s bail was set at $1.8 million and he is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 30.
[Winston-Salem Journal] [News & Record]
