Injured Chatham County deputy has sympathy for shooter

Capt. Roy Allen was shot in the leg during a standoff on Thursday along Alston Bridge Road, east of Siler City, after the driver refused to surrender.

The armed man, David Scott Herring, 35, of 505 Herring Path in Bear Creek, was shot and killed at the scene.

"I hate it for him. I really hate it for his parents. I feel really bad for them. I hate it for his family," Allen said.

Dashboard camera video shown to the media last week showed Herring asking officers to shoot him and, at times, holding his own weapon to his head.

“Honestly, I can’t see where we could have done anything to change the outcome and make it any better,” Allen said.

The shootout occurred after a car chase that started near the Moore County line around 12:30 p.m. Thursday when an officer attempted to pull over a vehicle that matched the description of one involved in a shooting about an hour earlier, Maj. Gary Blankenship said.

Allen, who has 18 years of law enforcement experience, was released from WakeMed on Friday. He said on Monday he vividly remembers being shot.

"I had a gunshot would to the right thigh that entered right above the knee and came out my back hip," Allen said. "You hear a lot of people say, 'Oh yeah, sometimes you don't even feel it' or 'It happened in slow motion.' I'm here to tell you it happened in real time and it hurt like heck."

Allen said he cannot talk about what happened during the standoff because of the investigation. He plans to return to work for desk duty on Tuesday.

Sgt. Chris Perry, who has 14 years experience of law enforcement, was also shot in the leg during the standoff. He was released from the hospital this past weekend.