| November 21, 2006 |
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| UPDATE: Justice Released from
Hospital, Charged with Attacking Deputy |
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A Hildebran
man, shot in the chest Monday night after allegedly attacking a Burke County
deputy with a butcher knife, has been released from the hospital and charged
with assault on a government official with a deadly weapon.
Michael
David Justice (right), 33, of 208 Highway 70
East, was taken to the Sheriff's Office upon his discharge this afternoon, and
processed for the felony assault. |
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| The deputy who
reportedly shot Justice is Chase L. Foss, 27, who joined the Sheriff's Office
in July after a six-year tenure as a Hickory police officer. |
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| Foss has been placed on
administrative duties pending a full investigation by the North Carolina State
Bureau of Investigation. |
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| According to Burke
County Sheriff John T. McDevitt, Michael Justice had made comments to his
family on Monday that he was going to kill himself. |
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| Foss was dispatched to
the mobile home park around 7:11 PM Monday night after receiving a call that
Justice was trying to enter his father's residence. The deputy was
notified that the Sheriff's Office held active warrants on Justice for larceny
and trespassing, McDevitt said. |
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| McDevitt stated Justice
left his father's home and returned to his own trailer. When Foss and a
Longview Police officer arrived, the father took them to Michael Justice's
trailer, which is a short walk away. |
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| Foss reportedly went to
the front of the mobile home with the father, while the Longview officer
watched the rear door of residence. |
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| "Michael Justice
suddenly ran out of the front door of the trailer, and my deputy pushed the
father out of the way," McDevitt said. "The deputy was forced to fire his
weapon at point-blank range when he saw Justice running toward him with a
knife." |
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| Although Justice was
shot in the chest, his wound was not life-threatening because the bullet was
mainly a flesh wound that did not hit any vital organs, said the
sheriff. |
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| Even so, McDevitt said
the case is looking more and more like a 'suicide by cop' incident, especially
since the man had made earlier threats of suicide. |
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| "Suicide by cop is an
unwanted trend which is increasing across the nation, and it looks as if it may
have made it's way into Burke County," stated the Sheriff. |
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| Sheriff's Office records
show Justice has had numerous warrants issued against him in the past for
misdemeanor worthless check charges. He was also involved in a Hickory traffic
accident on Saturday. |
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| Justice was jailed at
the Burke Catawba District Confinement Facility under a $25,000 bond for the
assault, and $500 for the trespassing and larceny charges. He will have a first
court appearance tomorrow. |
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