By Olivia Lloyd
The Herald
ELLERBE, N.C. — A man started shooting at firefighters responding to a call for service in rural North Carolina, sending one to a trauma center, authorities said.
Timothy Lee Hayden is charged with two counts of assault on emergency personnel with a firearm and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflicting serious injury, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
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Business records from the North Carolina Secretary of State show a man named Timothy Lee Hayden operates Hayden Construction, which offers fire and water restoration services. He is also listed as a managing member of Paratus Outfitters, a gun store in Rockingham, North Carolina.
The Ellerbe Fire Department responded to a call about a fire alarm on a rural property the early morning of Sept. 1, deputies said.
One fire truck headed to the scene, along with one firefighter who drove there in a personal vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.
But when they arrived, they were met with gunfire, authorities said.
One firefighter was shot in the leg, then deputies arrived at the scene and took Hayden into custody “after a brief time,” according to investigators.
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A spokesperson for the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation told McClatchy News there didn’t appear to be a fire on the property at the time, and the reason for the initial fire alarm call is unclear.
The firefighter was flown via helicopter to a trauma center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for treatment, the state bureau said.
Hayden was booked in jail on no bond. The investigation is ongoing.
Ellerbe is about a 75-mile drive southeast from Charlotte.
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