Canton man shot by deputies charged following deputy-involved shooting
Apr. 25—A Canton man is out of the hospital and now behind bars after repeated violations of a domestic violence restraining order culminated in a shootout with law enforcement in the Lake Logan area earlier this month.
Steven Hawkins, 47, of Canton, was was shot by Haywood County sheriff's deputies after refusing to yield ground and brandishing a weapon, according to accounts from a 911 call of the incident. He was charged with five felonies and two misdemeanors from the April 6 incident — though 18 days passed before he was arrested and charged on April 24.
When a suspect lands in the hospital, charges typically are not filed until they are discharged from medical care. That's because once an arrest is made and a suspect is taken into custody, county taxpayers become responsible for the inmate's medical care.
Three of the felonies Hawkins was charged with involved assault on law enforcement with a firearm. Hawkins is accused of assaulting Sheriff's officers Corp. J. West, Deputy M. Smathers and Deputy M. Buckner.
Just before 5 p.m. on April 6, Haywood County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a call not far from the Lake Logan-Cecil Volunteer Fire Department. The 911 caller said that her estranged husband showed up at her father's home, demanding that she come out and talk. She also said she had a restraining order against Hawkins, dating back to Feb. 2.
Throughout the 911 recording, the caller can be heard on several occasions informing the dispatcher that additional deputies had arrived on scene. At one point after deputies arrived, the caller stated that it appeared her husband had a shotgun.
She also said that while she had never seen her husband use drugs, she believed he used methamphetamines — one of the reasons for their separation.
Nearly 20 minutes into the call and about 15 minutes after deputies arrived, between 25 and 35 shots could be heard on the recording over the course of about 10 seconds. This came after 15 minutes of de-escalation efforts from deputies on the scene.
No deputies were injured in the shootout, and deputies performed life-saving measures at the scene. Hawkins was transported by helicopter to Mission Hospital.
A deputy could later be heard telling the caller the officers used "less than lethal" measures during the shootout. Additional comments indicate Hawkins likely suffered more than one injury.
"He ain't dead. He's got enough holes in him to be dead though," the deputy said.
"He grabbed that damn shotgun and took off, so he got shot. He didn't have but one round in that shotgun, but he had more in his pocket." the deputy added.
The wife meanwhile was recorded as saying, "I did not want it to come to this. I would've never wished this."
Despite the injuries, Hawkins was out of the hospital and in the Haywood County Detention Center within 18 days.
Hawkins was charged with three counts of felony assault on law enforcement with firearm, felony domestic violence protective order violation with deadly weapon, felony possession of a firearm by a person subject to a domestic violence order, misdemeanor domestic violence protective order violation and misdemeanor resisting public officer.
The man was also charged with two counts of misdemeanor domestic violence protective order violations for alleged violations via phone calls that occurred on April 19 and 20.
Hawkins is currently being held in the Haywood County Detention Center on a $250,000 bond.
