BERTIE COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – An Eastern Carolina sheriff is sharing new details on the deputy-involved shooting where a man was shot and killed by deputies after firing at them.
According to Bertie County Sheriff Tyrone Ruffin, deputies were trying to serve an involuntary commitment order on 28-year-old Tyrone Barnes at 122 Sierra Lane in Windsor on Tuesday.
Sheriff Ruffin says his deputies learned that Barnes threatened to kill a family member and himself prior to the shooting and took this threat seriously. Before approaching Barnes’ home, deputies spent over an hour coming up with the best plan of action, especially considering a situation that happened in 2019, where they say Barnes fired at deputies.
Ruffin says they approached the home around a little after noon. Deputies ordered Barnes to come out of the house. He says Barnes came out and appeared to be attempting to fire a gun toward deputies. When the firearm didn’t discharge, the sheriff says Barnes went back into the home and came back out firing in the direction of the deputies, striking a patrol vehicle. Deputies fired back at Barnes hitting and killing him.
Sheriff Ruffin says this shooting is disheartening for everyone in the community, including his deputies. “To know that my deputies also have families that they have to go home to also. They have wives, they have children, they have animals that they have to go home to also, and every day that we wake up and put the uniform on, we never know what we may encounter and deal with.”
According to Sheriff Ruffin, there were three deputies involved in the shooting. None of them were injured. As standard protocol, the deputies involved have been placed on paid administrative leave.
Ruffin says he has since spoken with Barnes’ mother, and says she is taking this hard. He also says he has been in contact with federal, state, and local officials, with them sending their condolences to everyone involved.
The NCSBI is currently investigating. According to Ruffin, the last deputy-involved shooting was in 2021.