Deputy fatally shoots man during hostage situation in central North Carolina

A central North Carolina sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a man during a hostage situation Thursday after the suspect came at deputies with a sledgehammer inside a home, officials said.

James Phillip White Jr., 48, of Kernersville, died at a local hospital after the shooting, which is now being examined by the State Bureau of Investigation, according to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s’ Office.

The situation began shortly after 8 a.m. when deputies were called to check on a man who was asleep in a car in a neighborhood, news outlets reported.

The man, who authorities identified as White, drove away and ended up at his house. The suspect physically assaulted a deputy and barricaded himself inside the home, Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. said.

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“The suspect’s significant other was in the house at the time and was texting the neighbor that he would not let her out,” said Christina Howell, a sheriff’s office spokesperson.

Deputies evacuated nearby residents and entered the home with force after he failed to respond to multiple commands to come out, Howell said. White came with a sledgehammer at the deputies, who tried to use a stun gun without success.

A deputy fired one shot, killing the man, Kimbrough said. The deputy is on administrative leave. His name has not been released. The hostage wasn’t harmed.