Around 11 a.m., the Bladen County Sheriff's Office was alerted to a domestic-related incident. When officers arrived, they found a man and a woman sitting in a car. The ,man had a revolver pointed at the woman's head. Hostage negotiators and multiple law enforcement agencies worked for three hours to resolve the conflict. The woman was released moments before the man, Lance Smith, fired on officers, who shot and killed him.
Victim's Name: Lance Edward Smith
Agency Responsible: Bladen County Sheriff's Office, Elizabethtown Police Department
Gender: Male
Age: 37
Race: Black
Date of Death: November 22, 2019
County: Bladen
Cause of Death: Gunshot
Official Disposition: Pending investigation/No Known Charges
Criminal Charges: No known charges
Mental Illness: No
Armed: Allegedly Armed
Weapon: gun
Threat Level: attack
Fleeing: Not fleeing
Body Camera: No
Washington Post Database ID: 5225
Geography: Rural