A 13-year-old boy who was wanted in the killing of his grandmother was shot and killed by a North Carolina deputy.
The teenager charged at the officer with a piece of lumber, which he had picked up during a chase, officials said on Friday.
The shooting will be reviewed by the State Bureau of Investigation, which is standard protocol.
The incident began about 90 miles outside of Raleigh, where the boy’s grandmother was pronounced dead in her home, the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office said.
Details of how 68-year-old Connie Linen died have not been released, but deputies initially went to her home in response to a well-being check.
Linen was a victim of homicide, authorities said.
Detectives determined Linen’s grandson to be a suspect, and authorities had completed paperwork charging him with first-degree murder, the Hoke Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said it was told about the homicide, and officers later found the boy behind an abandoned mobile home in the Cameron area.
When deputies approached the boy, he ran away, authorities said. The teenager grabbed a two-by-four from a yard during the pursuit and charged toward an officer, who shot the teen, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said. The office’s news released described the boy as 5 feet, 11 inches (1.8 meters) tall and 150 pounds (68 kilograms).
Lee County Sheriff Brian Estes and the State Bureau of Investigation didn’t immediately respond to emails Friday seeking more information about the shooting and the investigation.
“This has been a tragic and emotional situation for everyone involved,” Hoke County Sheriff Roderick Virgil said Friday. “We ask that our community come together with compassion and understanding as we all process this difficult event.”
