Justin Strawser: Murder suspect killed in shootout after he tried to barricade himself with 4 children
MOORESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA: A sheriff on Sunday, March 10, said that the suspect in a weekend shooting at a North Carolina home that left two people dead and another injured died in a shootout with deputies hours later outside another home.
Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said on social media that Justin Michael Strawser was shooting at deputies while donning a bulletproof vest when he was shot and killed on Saturday, March 9, outside of a Mooresville home.
Four young children were not injured
Darren Campbell said the four young children or the deputies did not sustain any injuries inside the house where Strawser lived.
When deputies arrived at a different Mooresville home in response to a report of gunfire, they found two dead inside and a critically injured person on the back porch.
According to the sheriff, all three were discovered cuffed and bound, and the third was sent to the hospital with potentially fatal wounds.
It wasn't a random home invasion, according to the sheriff's office, because Strawser and the three people who were shot knew each other. The office also mentioned narcotics and robbery as potential reasons.
According to the sheriff, Strawser barricaded himself inside the second house after deputies approached him with information about him and started shooting at them with the AR-15, the Associated Press reported.
According to Campbell, sheriff's office negotiators attempted to persuade Strawser to come out after the house that was surrounded.
They also found out that there were four juveniles inside, he continued, but the minors refused to cooperate.
Justin Strawser was killed in a shootout
As per the authorities, some of Strawser's bullets struck the sheriff's office vehicles.
According to the sheriff, Strawser also disclosed to the negotiators his role in the fatal event at the other house.
The children were then prompted to leave the house by deputies using tear gas, and according to the sheriff, Strawser followed them out, donning the bulletproof vest and opening fire on the officers.
Then, deputies returned fire, killing Strawser. He was declared deceased at the crime scene. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is looking into the shooting.
The sheriff's office called for the administrative leave of three deputies. Two men, ages 22 and 24, were identified as the victims of the first house shooting.
