Murphy – A suspect was taken into custody Friday after shots were fired at two town police officers, and the search for the suspect forced the lockdown of two area schools.
About 9 a.m. Friday, officers were dispatched to a larceny of a motor vehicle call on Bayless Street, later locating the suspect, 29-year-old Logan Steed Sneed, traveling near the river on Payne Street. The suspect’s vehicle was later found parked along a riverbed, and the suspect fired a shot at two officers with a handgun as they approached him and announced their presence. The suspect then fled on foot, prompting a search involving several agencies, including Cherokee County Dispatch, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, N.C. Highway Patrol, N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, U.S. Forest Service and Cherokee County Schools Police Department in addition to the Murphy Police Department. All agencies set up a perimeter around the search area, while an infrared-equipped Highway Patrol helicopter flew a search pattern over the area.
Murphy Elementary School and The Learning Center charter school both went into a soft lockdown due to their proximity. Sneed was eventually located following a public tip and taken to the Cherokee County Detention Center.