The Franklin County deputy who was shot and taken to the hospital on Thursday night was back at home on Friday afternoon.
The deputy-involved shooting investigation that started Thursday night near Louisburg. Deputy Taylor Lucas was seriously injured.
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The SBI, who's taking the lead on the investigation, said Jermaine Anthony Branch and two deputies fired shots at each other. A closer look shows Branch has been in trouble many times with charges stemming from driving while intoxicated to assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, among other offenses.
The SBI said Branch and Lucas were shot and transported to local hospitals. WRAL News learned that Lucas has since been released from the hospital.
Branch was arrested. His condition is unknown.
Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White was grateful that Lucas survived the ordeal. White said Lucas was pursuing a crime suspect when the suspect shot at him. In a Facebook post, White said that Lucas was "shot at point-blank range, directly in the heart of his chest." White added that Branch has a criminal history and "has been arrested dozens and dozens of times."
Deputies were staged around two scenes on Thursday night, one on East River Road and less than a tenth of a mile away on George Leonard Road.
SBI agents were examining the circumstances on Friday morning. A release from the agency said, "The SBI investigation will take time, but it will be thorough and accurate."
