Charlotte shooting hits home: Person County sheriff reflects on suspect's past encounters
The shooting that killed four law enforcement officers in Charlotte hits especially close to home for deputies with the Person County Sheriff’s Office.
Person County deputies have had a lengthy history with the suspect, Terry Clark Hughes Jr., who died in Monday’s shooting.
“Speaking with my guys and talking with them, when they reflected going back to the residence and trying to find him and serve the order for arrest, could it have ended the same way it did in Charlotte?” Person County Sheriff Jason Wilborn said. “It does hit home and it makes you think.
“You never think about it happening here and then when something like that happens it really touches you. It makes you wonder.”
Wilborn said Hughes had had encounters with law enforcement in seven or eight counties.
In 2009, Hughes was convicted of felony breaking and entering in Person County. He was convicted again in 2012 in Alamance County for possession of a firearm by a felon.
Hughes also had a pending case in Person County for possession of a firearm by a felon and marijuana possession. An order for his arrest was issued in February 2023 after he failed to appear in court.
Four other law enforcement officers were shot Monday, and one broke his foot during the incident.
President Joe Biden will visit with the families of the officers killed on Thursday.
