Nearly eight months after two Caldwell County sheriff's deputies were shot while serving a high-risk search warrant, the man charged with the crime has been arrested.
James Vance Crawford IV, 29, turned himself in to the sheriff's office May 13 for a shooting that injured two Caldwell deputies on Sept. 24.
His bond was set at $150,000 secured. His court date is scheduled for July 13 in Lenoir.
Sheriff's office spokesman B.J. Fore said the lag between the shooting and the arrest was because Crawford was recovering from multiple gunshot wounds he sustained after the deputy he shot returned fire.
The shooting took place at Crawford's home on N.C. 268 in the Happy Valley area of Caldwell County when the Caldwell County SWAT team went to the home to serve a high-risk search warrant.
The eight officers were in formation on the home's front porch at about 8 p.m. when Crawford fired two rounds from a semi-automatic .45 handgun and the bullets hit two of the officers, said Catawba County Sheriff Alan Jones.
Sgt. Erle Davis was the first man shot. The bullet hit him in the right upper arm. Capt. Mike Longo was on the front porch when the second bullet came through a window and struck him in the left shoulder, according to sheriff's office officials.
After being shot, Davis "returned fire and eliminated the threat," said Lt. James Harrison Jones of the sheriff's office.
Davis fired his MP5 (9 mm) submachine gun, hitting Crawford with an unknown number of rounds in the abdomen.
The officers and suspect were transported to Caldwell Memorial Hospital.
The officers were treated and released. The suspect was stabilized and transported to Carolinas Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition.
The search warrant had been issued after an undercover investigation involving narcotics officers who made several undercover cocaine buys. Jones said his deputies had classified the warrant as "high risk" due to their frequent dealings with the suspect.
Before the undercover operation put a stop to his drug operation, Crawford's home had been a popular place to purchase cocaine, Jones said.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement