Deputy fatally shoots a 13-year-old boy wanted for grandmother’s killing

RAEFORD, North Carolina — A North Carolina deputy shot and killed a 13-year-old boy wanted for the murder of his grandmother when the teen rushed toward the officer with a piece of wood the boy had picked up during a chase, authorities said Friday.

The State Bureau of Investigation will review Thursday’s shooting involving a Lee County sheriff’s deputy, which is standard protocol.

The events began in Raeford, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of Raleigh, where the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office said Connie Linen, 68, was pronounced dead at her home. Authorities say she was the victim of a homicide, but have not released details about how she was killed. Deputies initially came to the home in response to a welfare check.

Detectives determined Linen’s grandson was a suspect and authorities had filed paperwork charging him with first-degree murder, the Hoke Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said it was notified of the homicide and officers later found the boy behind an abandoned mobile home in the Cameron area.

When officers approached the boy, he ran away, authorities said. The teen grabbed a two-by-four from a yard during the chase and charged toward a police officer, who shot the teen, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said. Information released by the office described the boy as being 5 feet 11 inches (1.8 meters) tall and weighing 150 pounds (68 kilograms).

Lee County Sheriff Brian Estes and the State Bureau of Investigation did not immediately respond to emails Friday seeking more information about the shooting and the investigation.

“This has been a tragic and emotional situation for everyone involved,” Hoke County Sheriff Roderick Virgil said Friday. “We ask our community to come together with compassion and understanding as we all deal with this difficult event. »