Apex police: Loud music complaint led to fatal officer-involved shooting

"It is unfortunate that a concern over noise was escalated to the point of assault, arson and threats of using weapons against law enforcement officers," said Apex Police Chief John Letteney Monday during a 4 p.m. press conference at the department. "And we hope to determine why that occurred."

Letteney said, shortly after 10 p.m., Thompson called the city's non-emergency number to report loud music coming from a parked vehicle in the clubhouse's parking lot, which is behind Thompson's home.

“Somebody is playing music so loud (and) he’s got the subwoofer so loud it’s actually vibrating my window,” Thompson was heard saying in the call to dispatchers.

A few minutes later, someone called the Wake 911 center and hung up. Dispatchers returned the call and were told about a physical assault that had just occurred at the Dogwood Ridge pool.

Joe Hucks then called Apex 911 to report that his son, John Hucks, had been physically attacked by a man who entered his parked car.

"He’s fine but a guy was choking him around the neck," Joe Hucks told 911 dispatchers.

John Hucks said he was at the pool listening to music.

"Next thing I know I have a guy right at my door...immediately jumping on me, grabbing for my neck and he pinned me in my car," he said. "He just started yelling at me to turn off the music."

Officers began looking for the suspect based on a description given by Hucks, Letteney said.

A police K9 was called, and the dog was able to track the suspect to the townhome community's front entrance. That's when officers began knocking on doors in the community to find the suspect.

When they arrived at Thompson's home, officers asked him to open his door, which he refused.

Another Apex officer was told by a neighbor that the man was known to possess several guns.

Letteney said, at 10:37 p.m., officers saw the front door to Thompson's home open, and he came out armed with a shotgun, and thick black smoke was coming from the home.

Letteney said Thompson refused requests to put down the gun, and he walked toward the officers and raised the gun, which is when the Apex officers opened fire.

John and Joe Hucks heard the shooting. The two were asked by police to help identify the possible suspect.

"Me and my father and (Thompson) had come out of the house and we saw a big cloud of smoke and he had walked out the front door with a shotgun in his hand. He had taken two more steps forward and we heard gunshots ring out," John Hucks said.

None of the officers was injured during the incident, Letteney said.

"I'm still shaken up about it. I'm not sure how to feel about it," Hucks said.

Police said some residents in the neighborhood were evacuated while firefighters battled the blaze and as they sought to render aid to Thompson.

It was not clear if Thompson fired his weapon.

Richard Eaton, a neighbor, said Apex police banged on his door that night with guns drawn.

"You could hear them knocking from here to Johnston County as loud as they were knocking," Eaton said.

Police knocked on at least five other doors, he said, before the fatal confrontation.

"When they got down to the gentleman’s door that is now deceased, it took 15 minutes at least to get his attention to come outside," Eaton said. "He opened the door, and I heard 'Gun, gun, gun, gun,' and that’s when [I heard gunfire] – pop, pop, pop, pop, pop – as fast as that was."

The State Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the shooting, and the officers involved in the case have been placed on desk duty, a routine response when a law enforcement officer shoots someone.

Letteney did not identify the officers who fired their weapons during the incident. He said the SBI review would determine how many bullets were fired during the incident.