Suspect identified in deadly officer-involved shooting near school

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Investigators with the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office released the name of the man killed in an officer-involved shooting.

Sheriff James McVicker said the incident happened in a wooded area near Dublin around 7 p.m. Tuesday. Deputies say they tracked a man to the area off of Highway 41 after responding to a call about a man lying in a ditch with a gun in the 1100 block of Hickory Grove Ball Road.

Deputies say that man, Declan Owen, 24, was armed with a semi-automatic 9 mm gun about one-eighth of a mile from West Bladen High School. When the deputies say they asked him to show his hands, he pointed his gun at them.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, that is when both a Bladenboro police officer and Bladen County sheriff deputy used deadly force. The suspect was pronounced dead at 7:30 p.m. by the assistant county corner.

“When they stopped the truck, the man with the weapon ran into the wood line,” Chief Deputy Larry Guyton said. “Our officers were attempting to locate him because he was in close proximity to a school.”

A baseball game at West Bladen High School was going on during the incident. A spokesperson for the school system says what sounded like distant gunfire could be heard by spectators.

“It is important to note that School Resource Officers are on campus during all after-school athletic events,” Valerie Newton said. “They are in constant communication with school administrators should an emergency occur that warrants a campus lock-down. Last night’s incident in Dublin did not require any on-campus action per the local law enforcement agencies. The campus was at all times safe and secure.”

The Sheriff’s Office is still investigating why the suspect was in a ditch with a gun. The SBI is investigating the situation as per request of both law enforcement agencies. The identities of the two officers involved have not been released, but deputies say both the officer and deputy are on paid administrative leave.

Owen was on probation for a DWI conviction in an incident that happened in 2013, according to the Department of Public Safety. The sheriff’s office records show arrests including the DWI, larceny and trespassing charges. According to state court records, Owen was due in court on larceny charges on March 30.