Suspect killed in narcotics search at Sanford house

Sanford, N.C. — Law enforcement officers shot and killed a man after being confronted by two armed men while searching a Sanford residence in western Harnett County as part of a narcotics probe early Thursday.

Harnett County sheriff's deputies and State Bureau of Investigation agents served a search warrant for a mobile home at 48 K Bar Lane, off N.C. Highway 87, around 2:15 a.m., Sheriff Larry Rollins said.

Two armed men confronted officers inside the residence, and Harnett County Detective Tommy Parker and SBI Special Agent Michael Hall discharged their weapons, SBI Director Robin Pendergraft said.

One of the armed men - Adrian Castaneda - was hiding in a closet. When deputies opened the closet door, a confrontation occurred and Castaneda was shot and killed at the scene, said Maj. Gary McNeill, a spokesman for the Harnett County Sheriff's Office.

McNeill said one round was fired from Castaneda's AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.

Authorities disarmed and arrested the second man, Orlando Mendez Castaneda, 26, who lives at the residence.

Pendergraft said that a large amount of cocaine was found in the house.

Orlando Castaneda was charged with trafficking in cocaine by possession, trafficking in cocaine by manufacturing, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting, obstructing and delaying arrest.

He was being held in the Harnett County Detention Center on a $3.5 million bond and was scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

The SBI is investigating the shooting, and Hall and Parker have been placed on administrative duty, following standard procedure for all officer-involved shootings. The results of the investigation will be turned over to Harnett County District Attorney Susan Doyle.

Hall has been with the SBI since January 2005 and was previously a police officer in Fayetteville, Pendergraft said. Parker has served with the Harnett County Sheriff's Officer for more than 14 years, Rollins said.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office gave Harnett County authorities information to support the search warrant, but did not participate in the search, Rollins said.

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Professore--you're an idiot! Cops are people too. Those 2 men should never have been in the situation that they felt they needed to pull a gun on anyone. They were protecting their stash! The drugs that maybe your child or even a neighbors may have gotten into, even if it was inocently received. If someone drew a gun on you, would you fear for your life? If given the chance to defend yourself, wouldn't you have shot them too. Now our tax dollars do not have to pay for his food, clothes, weight room, and legal fees. Maybe the next time a drug dealer is shot in the leg, you can pay for all those fees. It's just common sense, use some, think about it. Murder is the little girl found in the trash dump, not some low life drug dealer!

nursevb8
October 22, 2009 7:47 p.m.

"Wow. The dim bulbs have come out today, that's for sure."

it's a major brownout.....I sense that these unfortunate and ill advised displays will continue

dws
October 22, 2009 7:18 p.m.

prolessor, next time there is an armed drug dealer that someone has to go get out of their house, please volunteer to go do it yourself. That is if you are not too busy crying because a crossing guard took your girlfriend and now you be hatin' on all badges. What is your job anyway? You have no trouble second guessing leo's, lets second guess the way you press license plates or whatever it is you do.

thepeopleschamp
October 22, 2009 7:15 p.m.

I personally thankyou Harnet County Sheriffs Department, SBI, and other Law Enforcement Officer's for the job you do. LEO2, when people like the professor stand on their personal soap box and spew their venom, 1) they forget that LE, helps protect their right to do so, 2)and they usually are the first one's screaming when they get the speeding ticket or traffic violation they deserve. Thankyou to all the men and women who are in all lawenforcement.

justafella
October 22, 2009 6:57 p.m.

"My condolences to his family. Well, it did not totally stop the drug deals. Someone else is continuing it. So what was solved in killing this person?"---Professor.

Well genius, police officers got to go home after trying to serve a warrant, when a suspect was trying to kill them. THAT's what was solved, slick.

leo-nc
October 22, 2009 6:30 p.m.