When officers arrived on the scene, a resident told them a rifle had been fired by a male suspect on the 4800 block of Whitner Drive. Officers evacuated the neighborhood and advised residents to shelter in place while the officers barricaded the shooter in his home and began negotiating with him.
The negotiations continued over the course of the morning until about 6 a.m. Throughout that time period, the shooter, who has been identified as 40-year-old David Jacobs, fired shots at police.
Jacobs initially feigned compliance with the officers but was able to retrieve his firearm and threatened the officers after they fired non-lethal rubber bullets at him.
This resulted in WPD returning fire at Jacobs.
A next door neighbor of Jacobs (who wanted to remain anonymous) said he was woken up by about fifteen gunshots, and he said this type of incident isn’t typical for the Holly Glen neighborhood.
“I mean, usually the first two or three, you know, you're a little confused, but after a minute, you kind of figure out what's going on,” he said. “It's interesting to always get a new alarm clock sound on your Thursday morning, but sometimes you just gotta have one.”
But he appreciates WPD’s response.
“WPD, I think, did a pretty good job. Obviously, you can't shoot at officers. You shouldn't at least, and if you do, you'll kind of end up with the consequences of what happened with it.”
Jacobs was hit by police gunfire and was transported to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center by EMS, where he remains in critical condition.
The shelter in place order over the neighborhood has been lifted and the State Bureau of Investigation has been called to advise in the ongoing investigation, which is standard procedure for shootings involved law enforcement officers.
WPD says Jacobs, who has been arrested on multiple drug charges in the past, is expected to face numerous charges in this case — including Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer with a Firearm and Possession of Firearm by a Felon.
No officers or bystanders were injured.
