03/29/2024
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Bladen County Sheriff's DepartmentSheriff James A. McVicker announced today the Bladen County Sheriff’s office has completed its internal and separate review of the officer involved shooting that happened on February 13, 2016, in Elizabethtown involving Deputy D.A. Schmale Jr. and Elizabethtown Police Officer Blake Bryan.

McVicker said, at the time of the incident, Deputy Schmale made a vehicle stop and when he learned the driver, Dennis Marshall of Elizabethtown, had an outstanding warrant for arrest, Deputy Schmale directed Marshall to step out of Marshall’s vehicle and placed him under arrest. Marshall resisted arrest and was able to retrieve a handgun from inside the vehicle.

McVicker said that Marshall began to fire at Deputy Schmale and Officer Bryan, who had just arrived to assit Deputy Schmale.

According to a release from the Sheriff’s Office, both officers returned fire and subdued the defendant. Marshall was transported to and treated at Bladen County Hospital. McVicker said that Marshall was later moved to New Hanover Memorial Hospital in Wilmington for gunshot wounds. Marshall is now in the custody of the North Carolina Department of Correction safekeeping and continued health care. Neither officer was injured in the exchange of gunfire.

“As is standard procedure in a situation such as this my office initiated an internal investigation to determine if our deputy followed the law and the written policy and procedure as it relates to the use of deadly force,” said McVicker. “At the completion of the investigation we convene a review board composed of members of the command staff, training unit, supervisors and an officer from an uninvolved agency. The investigative report is presented and the review board makes a finding of either compliance or non-compliance with departmental policy. This board does not make any recommendations other than that. Once the review board presents their finding to me I make my decision.”

“Based on the findings I believe my deputy acted within office guidelines and I will be returning him to full duty on February 26, 2016. Because there is an ongoing investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation concerning the two officers involvement in the shooting and an ongoing criminal investigation being conducted by the Elizabethtown Police Department I will not be making any further statements at this time. The investigation by the SBI was initiated at the request of District Attorney Jon David. This is a standard procedure to have an outside agency do an independent investigation to insure transparency. I have advised Mr. David of my decision.”

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