Man Killed In Shootout With Catawba County Deputies

A man is dead after a standoff with deputies in Newton on Monday evening, according to the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded to a home on Rifle Range Road around 8:40 p.m. following reports of a man threatening suicide while armed. Upon arrival, the man refused to engage with law enforcement. Deputies assisted an elderly woman out of the residence before calling in the Special Tactics and Response Crisis Intervention and De-escalation (STAR) team to help manage the situation.

At 9:30 p.m., an involuntary commitment order was issued, directing deputies to transport the man to a hospital for evaluation. The STAR team spent several hours trying to make contact with him. Around 1 a.m., deputies heard what they believed to be a gunshot fired from inside the house.

When deputies entered the home to assist the man, he opened fire on the team. Deputies returned fire, and the man was fatally shot. The man was identified as Michael Rose.

No deputies were injured during the incident. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has been called to look into the circumstances surrounding the shooting. It is unclear at this time whether any deputies have been placed on administrative leave as part of the investigation.