Between Friday and Sunday, police and sheriff's deputies were involved in three separate shootings in North Carolina.

The shootings happened in Wilkes County, Sampson County and Tarboro, officials said. Two of the men were allegedly armed and one was suspected in the killing of a woman. In one shooting, police say an officer's gun went off accidentally, wounding a man in custody.


What You Need To Know

  • There were three shootings involving police and deputies in North Carolina between Friday and Sunday

  • A man suspected of killing a woman in Caldwell County was shot dead by deputies in a neighboring county, officials said

  • In Sampson County, a man who ran from deputies pointed a revolver at deputies before he was killed, the sheriff's office said

  • In Tarboro, police say an officer accidentally fired his gun and wounded a person running from a checkpoint

The first incident happened Friday in Caldwell County, according to the Associated Press, as deputies were looking for Thomas Billings to serve him with a domestic violence protective order.

The sheriff's office said the female victim was on the phone with a relative when she was at the home she shared with Billings. But then there was a commotion, and the phone cut off, the AP reports. Deputies later found the woman's body.

Deputies in Wilkes County, just to the north, found Billings in his car. There was a confrontation, according to the AP. Billings was armed when a Wilkes County deputy shot and killed him, authorities said. 

Sampson County

The second shooting happened in Sampson County, near Fayetteville, after a police chase at about 4 a.m. Sunday.

Deputies from Sampson and Cumberland counties were chasing a man suspected of DWI when they used "stop sticks" to disable the van Craig Locklear was driving, according to the Sampson County Sheriff's Office.

Locklear ran from deputies and was able to hide until about 1 p.m. on Sunday. Sampson County deputies saw a pickup driving in the area they thought was associated with Locklear, the sheriff's office said.

Officials said Locklear was hiding in the bed of the pickup when he got up and pointed a revolver at deputies. They shot and killed Locklear, the sheriff's office said in a news release.

Tarboro

The third incident of the weekend was in Tarboro. Police say Christopher Harris, 30, smelled of alcohol and marijuana when he was stopped at a checkpoint, Tarboro police said.

Harris allegedly drove away from the checkpoint and as police chased the vehicle, Harris crashed into another car, according to a news release.

The man started running from the crash when a Tarboro police officer's gun went off, hitting Harris, police said.

Harris was treated at a hospital and arrested, police said. He faces charges for running from police and for possession with intent to sell cocaine.

All three shootings will be investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation, which is the standard procedure when police and deputies shoot suspects.