Deputy shoots armed man after refusing to drop weapon

Press Release Duplin County Sheriff’s Office Facebook

The Duplin County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call at 661 Stocking Head Road, Rose Hill, North Carolina on Saturday, December 25, 2021 at 3:33pm to a report of shots being fired.

Upon arrive at the scene the responding deputy met with the victim and then encountered Jimmy Norman Bland, a 84 year old white male, of 659 Stocking Head Road, Rose Hill, North Carolina.

Jimmy Bland was armed with a rifle and had been shooting at his neighbor’s house. The deputy instructed Bland to put the gun down but Bland pointed the rifle at the deputy and refused to lower it, prompting the deputy to shoot Bland.

Bland was airlifted to Vidant Hospital in Greenville, North Carolina and is in critical condition. Sheriff Blake Wallace and District Attorney Ernie Lee requested an investigation by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

The deputy is on paid administrative leave while the incident is being investigated. The NCSBI is currently investigating the incident.