On January 8, 2022, near 2:15pm, a shooting was reported along Bingham Dr. near Shenandoah Dr. in Fayetteville, NC. Preliminary reports stated an adult male was struck by a truck while near the roadway, and shot by the driver who called 911. The victim was pronounced dead on scene and later identified as Jason Walker, 37. The accounts of this story, a call for an arrest, and handling of the case has caused concerns for the community as the death marks the second roadside shooting death in Fayetteville NC since the new year.
Recently, Fayetteville Police has identified the shooter and driver of the truck as off-duty Lt. Jeffrey Hash of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department, a 17 year deputy within the civil section. Hash has been placed on administrative leave as the case is handled by the State Bureau of Investigation.
A video circulating on social media shows 4 minutes of the scene after the pedestrian was shot and when the off duty deputy called 911. The video shows bystanders trying to aid the shooting victim and officers arriving at the scene to question witnesses and involved parties. Deputy Hash can be heard stating “He ran across the street, so I stopped. He jumped on my car, and started screaming.”
https://twitter.com/officialaronnc/status/1480091440994680833?s=21
Fayetteville Police chief, Gina Hawkins, stated in a news conference that the “black box” of the truck did not show any impact collision based on the data that measures speed and braking impact. She also noted an investigator reported a windshield was torn off and used to break the windshield of the truck in multiple places. The chief is calling for any witnesses or videos of the incident to come forward. Cumberland County District Attorney Bill West recused himself from handling the case locally and sent it to the NC Conference of District Attorneys as an independent prosecutorial agency to avoid any conflict of interest.
Activists have been questioning the preliminary investigation and press releases which stated “an adult male ran into traffic and jumped on a moving vehicle” as well as questioning why the man was shot and why no arrest was made on the scene. Activists pinpoint North Carolina’s criminal law that states a person may be charged in a shooting death for involuntary manslaughter if an imperfect self-defense situation occurred where force was necessary to defend oneself, but it was not objectively reasonable.
Protests and vigils have sprouted across the city from the Cumberland County Courthouse, the Fayetteville Police building on Hay Street as well as demonstrations on Raeford Rd and Skibo Road for Stephen Addison, 32, who was fatally shot after a road rage incident with a father-son pair.
We will keep you updated when we receive more information.
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