Physician shot in South Carolina standoff

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — A physician whose last known address was in Raleigh was shot several times by police in Orangeburg, S.C., Wednesday after he took his 11-year-old son hostage.

According to a release from the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety, officers responded to 175 S. Brookside Drive around 6:30 a.m. after Werner Scott Haddon, 48, arrived at the home and tried to take his son, Nicholas. The boy’s grandmother, who hit the panic alarm at the home, told authorities Haddon had not been seen by his estranged family for about four years.

When officers got to the scene, they found Haddon trying to leave the home with Nicholas. The (Orangeburg) Times & Democrat said Haddon fired a shot in the direction of the officers. Officers then used a tasing device on Haddon, which stunned him long enough for the boy to get free.

Haddon again fired shots at the officers, who returned fire, hitting him several times. He was flown from the scene to Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia, where he was in stable condition after undergoing surgery Wednesday. Nicholas Haddon and his grandmother were not hurt in the incident. The boy’s mother, Virginia Kearse Haddon, was not at home when the attempted abduction occurred.

The last known address for Werner Haddon is 1322 Pineview Drive in Raleigh. A neighbor across the street said he mostly kept to himself, but waved when spotted and kept his lawn in good condition. He moved out of the home a few years back, and has been renting it to college students.

Haddon is a 1985 graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill medical school. A doctor specializing in general surgery and emergency medicine, he currently has hospital privileges at Heritage Hospital in Tarboro.

His criminal history includes multiple convictions in 2007 for failure to file or pay income tax. He was arrested in South Carolina in 2004, charged with stalking Kearse Haddon.

Haddon will be charged with multiple counts of assault and battery with intent to kill, and one count each of kidnapping and burglary when he leaves the hospital, officials said Wednesday night.

The State Law Enforcement Division in South Carolina is investigating the shooting, as is protocol when an officer discharges a weapon. Two officers, Sgt. Chris Murdaugh and Officer Errol Brooks, are on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of the investigation.

News researcher Lamara Williams and the Orangeburg Times and Democrat contributed to this report.