Chatham County Sheriff's Office Details 9-Hour Standoff, Officer-Involved Shooting

An involuntary commitment order led to an exchange of gunfire and extended standoff in unincorporated Chatham County on Wednesday, according to the sheriff’s office.

A release shared Thursday morning by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office detailed a nine-hour ordeal, which ended in the wounding and custody of 47-year-old Paul Lawrence Rader of Siler City. There were no injuries to sheriff’s deputies or bystanders. Rader’s family made an involuntary commitment request, with deputies arriving to a residence on Lambert Chapel Road near the western border of the county at 3:30 p.m. The sheriff’s office said as law enforcement spoke with the family outside their residence, Rader began firing a gun “indiscriminately from a travel trailer on the property.” Rader then began shooting “directly at one of the deputies” several minutes later, according to Thursday’s release, and that deputy began to return fire.

What followed was nine hours of law enforcement standing off with Rader, who remained in the trailer and fired “hundreds of rounds” toward sheriff’s deputies. Chatham County’s Sheriff’s Office called in support from the Moore County Sherriff’s Office, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office and the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office to help with the scene and other public safety coverage during the incident.

The tense scene ended shortly after midnight, according to the timeline shared Thursday. Rader fired toward a Chatham County deputy — different from the one first shot at around 4 p.m. — before that second deputy shot and wounded the resident. The sheriff’s office then took Rader into custody while transporting him to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill for medical treatment. Based on the office’s release, Rader’s gunshot injuries were not life-threatening, as he was conscious and alert while headed to the hospital.

Rader has been charged with two counts of felony attempted first degree murder, one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, six counts of felony discharge of a weapon into occupied property and one count of misdemeanor injury to real property.

Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson shared his gratitude to the other offices who committed resources during the standoff and to his own deputies’ response.

“This was an extremely dangerous and unpredictable situation that could have ended very differently,” said Roberson. “I’m grateful that our deputies remained calm under pressure and followed their training to protect themselves and others. We also greatly appreciate the assistance of our partner agencies, who helped bring this incident to a resolution.”

As is procedure for any officer-involved shooting, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is conducting its own review and investigation into Wednesday’s incident, according to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.

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Chatham County Sheriff’s Office Details 9-Hour Standoff, Officer-Involved Shooting

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