Off-duty NC deputy who shot, killed man in Fayetteville placed on leave, officials say

A sheriff’s deputy has been placed on administrative leave after authorities say he shot and killed a man while off-duty in Fayetteville on Saturday.

The deputy, whom the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office identified Monday as Lt. Jeffrey Hash, was placed on leave pending an internal investigation. He has served the office since 2005 and worked in the civil section, according to a news release.

The incident took place just after 2:15 p.m. on Saturday along Bingham Drive, when Hash shot Jason Walker, 37, Fayetteville police said.

The shooting sparked protests Sunday afternoon, as activists questioned the law enforcement narrative of how Walker, who is Black, died.

The police department said a preliminary investigation determined Walker “ran into traffic and jumped on a moving vehicle.”

Hash, whom police did not refer to by name, proceeded to shoot Walker. He then called 911, police said.

Walker was pronounced dead at the scene.

At least two people who say they were at the scene disputed the initial police report on social media, claiming Hash hit Walker as he was crossing the street and then shot him. They posted a video online appearing to show the scene shortly after the shooting.

What police say

In a news conference Sunday evening, Police Chief Gina Hawkins said investigators examined the vehicle’s “black box computer, which logs speed, braking impact and other events.”

“That computer did not record any impact, with any person or thing,” she said. “We currently have no witnesses who claim that anyone was hit by this truck.”

Hawkins said “individuals at the scene indicated they did not witness the incident.” She added the department had spoken to a witness who claimed Walker was not struck by the vehicle.

Hawkins said she did not know how many times or where Walker was shot.

Investigators with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation have taken the lead on the investigation at the request of Fayetteville police.

Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West said the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys had been assigned to serve as an independent prosecutorial agency in the case.

Anyone who saw what happened should call State Bureau of Investigation at 1-888-624-7222, Hawkins said.

What the video shows

In the video, a man the people posting on social media identify as Hash can be seen standing by a red truck and speaking over the phone, while another man, who they say is Walker, lies on the ground near the back of the vehicle.

Sirens blare in the background as a woman, who one of the people who shared the video says is her, crouches down and appears to apply pressure to the man’s wound.

“People are hostile right now,” the driver identified as Hash says in the video.

“Nobody is hostile,” a man across the street says. “Don’t you (expletive) say that.”

“I don’t know where the entry point is,” the woman giving aid says. “He won’t tell me where he shot him.”

About a minute into the video, police officers arrive on the scene.

“I was coming down here,” the driver tells them. “He ran across the street, so I stopped. He jumped on my car, started screaming.”

The driver says the man pulled on his windshield and hit the glass.

When officers ask the man recording the video if he saw the shooting, he replies “that’s my wife,” referring to the woman applying aid.

“I don’t know how many times he shot him,” she tells paramedics.

As they begin to work, she moves to the driver and says something to him.

“Ma’am, I’m going to protect my wife and my child,” he says.

An officer interjects, stating, “We’re not doing this right now.”

“You have a vehicle,” she tells the driver.

The News & Observer has reached out to those who posted the video for more information.

At the Sunday news conference, Hawkins said investigators noted that “a windshield wiper was torn off and the metal portion was used to break the windshield of the truck in several places,” but declined to comment further on what that might mean.

She added there was no indication Walker and Hash knew one another.

Hawkins said she was aware of the video and had watched it.

“We don’t know what occurred beforehand, and that’s why we’re here,” she said when asked about the exchange between the deputy and a bystander at the start of the video. “We’re here for anyone who has evidence, video or even a person who was there beforehand at any point to come and provide statements to the SBI.”

Investigators do not have any footage of the incident itself, Hawkins said.

Demonstrations in Fayetteville

In the aftermath of the shooting, local activists rallied against the law enforcement agencies.

The Fayetteville Activist Movement said members of the community would gather outside the sheriff’s office at 3 p.m. to demand the arrest of the deputy.

“When Fayetteville Police arrived they did not disarm the shooter, they did not arrest the shooter, and worst of all they did not render aid to the victim,” the group claimed in a social media post.

At the Sunday news conference, Hawkins said police took Hash into custody but did not arrest him, and were currently in possession of his firearm. She did not address whether he was still in custody.

She said officers did not render aid because the woman providing it to Walker was a medical professional.

Fayetteville Police Accountability Community Taskforce (PACT) organized an additional demonstration at 4 p.m. outside the police department.

The incident gained attention on social media, with a TikTok video about Walker’s death garnering over 215,000 views as of Sunday evening.

This story was originally published January 9, 2022 at 4:48 PM.