DA: Chatham County deputies justified in shooting chase suspect

The armed man, David Scott Herring, 35, of 505 Herring Path in Bear Creek, died at the scene.

Herring shot both Capt. Roy Allen and Sgt. Chris Perry, the Chatham County Sheriff's Office said.

The shootout occurred after a car chase that started near the Moore County line 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.

During the chase, the suspect stopped his vehicle about five times, Woodall said. Three of those times he confronted officers with a loaded handgun.

At times the suspect held the gun to his own head, waved the gun around and shouted to officers "Shoot me," Woodall said.

"At every opportunity officers attempted to talk the suspect into putting the gun down and surrendering peacefully. Officers employed non-lethal means to subdue the suspect on two separate occasions without success," Woodall said.

The chase ended in a standoff about 20 miles from where it began. The suspect exited the vehicle and began firing a handgun at officers. Seven officers in the line of fire shot back at the suspect, Woodall said. The suspect was shot 14 times.

"Each of the officers returning gunfire at the suspect acted in self defense and in defense of their fellow officers," Woodall said.

No charges will be filed, Woodall said.

At the time of his death, the suspect had alcohol and cocaine in his system, Woodall said. Two containers with residual amounts of cocaine were also found inside the suspect’s vehicle.