A Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputy responding to a distance call found an 18-year-old man using a hammer to knock the windows out of a vehicle after attacking a man at a nearby home. The deputy appears to have attempted to deescalate the situation and even used his taser in an attempt to stop the situation from turning deadly, but was forced to go to his sidearm when the student attacked him with a board.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office confirms a teenager was shot and killed by a deputy Tuesday evening.

Chief Deputy Rocky Harnen said deputies responded to the 1900 block of County Road 60 near Pisgah. He said they found 18-year-old Alex Christopher Davis beating the windows out of a car. Deputies said they learned he had also just beaten the man inside the home with a hammer.

Harnen said the deputy tried to de-escalate the situation, but Davis tried to attack the deputy with a board.

Harnen said the deputy tried other tactics to subdue Davis before shooting him, including a stun gun.

Davis was pronounced dead at the scene.

The deputy was not injured.

Davis was a senior at Pisgah High School.

It is not known at this time why Davis attacked the man in the home with a hammer, the vehicle outside, nor the deputy.

I will note that it appears the deputy seems to have gone above and beyond the call by deploying his taser while without backup against an armed suspect. While I don’t know the specific policies of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the general rule of thumb is that you treat a suspect with a board or hammer like Davis as a deadly force threat when you’re the lone law enforcement officer on the scene and you should respond by drawing your sidearm. The deputy in this case attempted to verbally de-escalate and use a taser first, but the taser did not work on Davis. Davis then allegedly attacked the deputy, he was forced to draw his sidearm, and fire shots in self defense that unfortunately led to Davis begin killed.

It appears that the deputy gave Alex Davis every opportunity to surrender. It’s a shame that Davis refused to be taken into custody and forced the deputy into this situation.