NEWTON, N.C. – A man is dead after he shot a woman multiple times and fired at first responders, prompting police to shoot him in Catawba County early Tuesday morning.
The Newton Police Department said it received a call around 12:35 a.m. that a woman had been shot in the parking lot of the Catawba County Government Center.
Police said she left the government center and was found in the parking lot of the Planet Fitness on Northwest Boulevard, which is just over a two-mile drive away.
While firefighters and EMS rendered lifesaving aid to the woman, the alleged shooter drove into the parking lot and began shooting into the area where the first responders were tending to the victim.
Officers at the scene returned fire, hitting the man, causing him to drop his gun and fall to the ground. He was also shot multiple times.
Both the man and woman were taken by ambulance to the Catawba Valley Medical Center before they were airlifted to Charlotte. The woman is in stable condition, but the man died at the hospital.
Police said the man and woman did know each other, but have not yet released their names.
The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave pending investigation by the NC SBI.
“It is unfortunate that officers had to take a life in order to save several lives,” Newton Police Chief Vidal Sipe said in a news release. “Our thoughts and prayers are with our officers, the victim and others affected by this senseless act of violence. Domestic violence continues to be a serious matter and needs to be addressed immediately.”
An investigation into the case remains ongoing and anyone with information should call Newton Police at 828-465-7430.
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