A firefighter was injured after a man opened fire on emergency personnel responding to a call in rural North Carolina, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities identified the suspect as Timothy Lee Hayden, who now faces two counts of assault on emergency personnel with a firearm and one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflicting serious injury.
Business records from the North Carolina Secretary of State indicate that Timothy Lee Hayden is associated with Hayden Construction, a company providing fire and water restoration services. He is also listed as a managing member of Paratus Outfitters, a gun store located in Rockingham, North Carolina.
The incident occurred when the Ellerbe Fire Department responded to an early morning fire alarm at a rural property. One fire truck and an additional firefighter in a personal vehicle arrived at the scene, where they encountered gunfire. According to investigators, one firefighter was shot in the leg before deputies arrived and took Hayden into custody “after a brief time.”
A spokesperson for the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation stated there did not appear to be an active fire at the property when responders arrived. The reason for the initial alarm remains unclear. The injured firefighter was airlifted to a trauma center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for treatment.
Hayden is being held without bond while authorities continue their investigation. Ellerbe is located about 75 miles southeast of Charlotte.
