Ax attack, shooting rock quiet village

A man with an ax was shot and killed Wednesday by Pinehurst police officers at the scene of a house fire, according to officials.
Posted 3/19/2025, 1:12:00 PM Updated 3/19/2025, 10:13:49 PM

WRAL NEWS LIVE IN RALEIGH.

>> NEW TODAY TO POLICE OFFICER

SHOT AND KILLED A MAN THEY SAY

CAME AT THEM WITH AN AX.

>> INVESTIGATORS SAY THIS ALL

STARTED AS A CALL FOR

SUSPICIOUS PERSON AS A HOME

WAS SMOKING IN THE AREA.

POLICE SAY THE MAN TOOK THE AX

FROM A FIREFIGHTER WRAL'S

CHELSEA DONOVAN JOINS US NOW

LIVE FROM PINEHURST WHERE

AUTHORITIES ARE STILL ON THE

SCENE. CHELSEA.

>> HE HAD EVER NEARLY 12 HOURS

LATER. INVESTIGATORS POLICE AND

DETECTIVES STILL ON THIS SCENE

HERE. WE SHOULD MENTION THIS IS

AN UNUSUAL SCENE, AS YOU

MENTIONED, THAT STARTED OUT AS

A SUSPICIOUS PERSON PERSON.

THEN A FIRE AND THEN THEN AN

OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING ONE

THAT HASN'T HAPPENED HERE IN

THE VILLAGE SINCE THE 1950'S.

>> THIS IS WHAT THE VILLAGE

IS KNOWN FOR.

THING ON RENOWNED PRESTIGIOUS

COURSES, RETIREES AND ROCKING

CHAIRS. A PICTURESQUE

COMMUNITY, CRIME SCENE TAPE

AND FLASHING LIGHTS ARE RARELY

SEEN IN. THIS IS NOT A NORMAL

FOR FIGHTERS.

IT STARTED AROUND 07:00AM WITH

REPORTS OF A SUSPICIOUS PERSON

ON REMINGTON LANE.

>> SO POLICE RESPONDED AFTER

SEVERAL MINUTES. THEY DID SEE

SMOKE AND FIRE COMING FROM

RESIDENTS. THEN FIRE CREWS

ARRIVED. ONE FIREFIGHTER AND

LEAVING THEIR ACTS AT THE FRONT

DOOR AFTER MAKING ENTRY A MALE

SUBJECT EXITED THE FRONT DOOR

OF THE RESIDENCE GAINED ACCESS

TO AN ACCIDENT WAS NEAR THE

FRONT DOOR.

I RAISE THE ACTION CHARGE THAT

SEVERAL OFFICERS POLICE SAY

THEY TRIED LESS LETHAL FORCE

AND VERBAL COMMANDS THAT DIDN'T

WORK.

>> SO THEN 2 OFFICERS FIRED

THEIR GUNS. I'VE NEVER SEEN

THIS MANY POLICEMAN HERE ON IT.

>> ON THE STREET OR OUT AT THIS

TIME, OUR OFFICERS OBVIOUSLY

ARE SHAKEN FOLLOWING THE

SITUATION OF THIS MAGNITUDE.

>> THE MAN IN HIS LATE 20'S

LATER DIED. IT'S AN INCIDENT

THAT HAS SHOCKED THIS GOLF AND

RETIREMENT COMMUNITY HAD NEVER

HEARD.

>> I'VE NEVER HAD BEEN SHOT

OUT HERE. THAT NEVER HAPPENED.

AND THEN WE HAD A GUN SHOT OUT

HERE AND KIND OF BEEN HERE AND

I'VE BEEN HERE OVER 12 TO 20

YEARS. I MEAN, WHEN IS THE LAST

TIME THE VILLAGE HAS HAD AN

OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING, THE

RIGHT NOW SURVIVE? SHE KNEW

NOTHING WAS PROBABLY IN THE

1950'S.

CERTAINLY THIS IS THE NORMALITY

HERE IN THIS QUIET VILLAGE.

WE SHOULD ALSO MENTION THOSE

2 OFFICERS THAT FIRED THEIR

WEAPONS.

>> THEY'RE CURRENTLY ON

ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE WITH PAY.

THAT IS STANDARD PROTOCOL AS

THE SBI IS HERE NOW CONTINUING

TO CONDUCT THEIR INVESTIGATION