ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — A Rowan County deputy shot and killed a man who confronted first responders with a knife Thursday night, investigators said.
Rowan County 911 received a call for a crash on Rock Springs Drive in Salisbury around 8:30 p.m. The caller said a vehicle hit a tree and there could be possible injuries. When fire and EMS crews got to the scene, they encountered a man with a knife, the sheriff's office said. The suspect was later identified as 46-year-old Steven Ray Johnson.
The sheriff's office said Johnson had lived in Charlotte and Salisbury and had no prior interactions with Rowan County authorities.
Emergency crews immediately called the sheriff's office and moved back until deputies arrived. Multiple sheriff's office crews responded to the call.
The first deputy reached the scene just before 9 p.m., according to police, and that deputy was confronted by the suspect who was still armed with a knife. The deputy shot the suspect, killing them.
The Rowan County Sheriff's Office has not identified the deputy who shot Johnson.
The Rowan County Sheriff's Office said the incident was captured on body camera and a preliminary review shows the shooting was justified. The deputy involved was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) was called and will lead the investigation to confirm if the deputy followed protocol.
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