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Surry deputies on leave after shooting
Driver ran into deputy, sheriff's office says
Journal Photo by Paul Garber
Investigators survey the site on northbound U.S. 52 where a man was shot by deputies. The driver was being chased after driving erratically.
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Published: November 19, 2008
MOUNT AIRY - Two Surry County sheriff's deputies were put on administrative leave after they shot at a man during a chase early yesterday on U.S. 52, authorities said.
During the chase, the driver involved, Lindsey Gray Bowman, 70, turned his car south on northbound U.S. 52 and drove into one of the deputies who was standing along the highway, according to the Surry County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies then fired at Bowman with .40-caliber semi-automatic pistols. The bullets penetrated the glass of the red, four-door sedan that Bowman was driving, severely wounding him in the neck and shoulder, authorities said.
Bowman, of 271 Greentown Road in Mount Airy, was at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem yesterday, where he was listed in critical condition.
The deputy who was struck by Bowman's car was Detective Scott Hudson, who was taken to Northern Hospital of Surry County, where he was treated and released.
The incident resulted in the closure of northbound U.S. 52 for about five hours. The highway reopened shortly after 7 a.m.
The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating, which is standard procedure when officers are involved in a shooting.
Investigators will look at whether it was a justifiable use of force, Sheriff Graham Atkinson said.
"Deputies are trained in shoot and don't-shoot situations. If somebody is assaulting you with a deadly weapon then you have a right to defend yourself," Atkinson said. A car is considered a deadly weapon in such cases.
The chase began at 1:22 a.m. on northbound U.S. 52 near the N.C. 268 exit for Pilot Mountain. Here's what authorities say happened:
Mike Palmer, a Pilot Mountain police officer, tried to pull over Bowman for driving erratically.
Bowman fled north on U.S. 52.
Palmer asked for assistance. Three Surry County deputies in marked patrol cars were in the area, along with another in an unmarked car. They all joined in the chase, as did an N.C. Highway Patrol trooper.
Bowman lost control of the car and wound up going south in the northbound lanes of U.S. 52.
Deputies closed in. As Bowman tried to pull away, he drove into a deputy who had gotten out of his car.
At that point, two deputies fired into the car.
The chase ended at 1:47 a.m. north of Cook School Road, south of Mount Airy.
Investigators would not say how fast Bowman was driving.
Though two deputies fired shots, it could be that only one of the deputies' shots struck Bowman, Atkinson said. Investigators are trying to determine whether one of Bowman's wounds is an exit wound.
The two deputies involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave. Their names have not been released.
"The one it looks like shot him, he's OK, but it's tough to think about shooting anyone," Atkinson said.
■ Paul Garber can be reached at 727-7327 or at pgarber@wsjournal.com.
■ Sherry Youngquist can be reached in Mount Airy at 336-918-6119 or at syoungquist@wsjournal.com.
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