SBI: 3 deputies part of officer-involved shooting investigation at campground

MILLS RIVER - The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation confirmed on April 17 that there are multiple Henderson County Sheriff's Office deputies who are a part of the investigation into the alleged officer-involved fatal shooting of Hayden Elias Brook on April 13 near North Mills River Campground.

"I can advise as to the number of deputies that are part of our investigation… that number is three," Anjanette Grube, a spokesperson for the SBI, said.

In an April 13 social media post, the Sheriff's Office reported that at approximately 6:07 p.m. deputies were called to a disturbance where a male subject with a gun was allegedly threatening people in the North Mills River Campground.

"After units arrived in the area, a chase ensued with the suspect. He then crashed his van and shots were fired from that vehicle which led to an exchange of gunfire with units that were on scene," the Facebook post said.

The Sheriff's Office later reported that Brook died at the scene.

Henderson County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Johnny Duncan said there was only one 911 call about the incident. A woman told 911 dispatchers that a man with a gun had threatened her and hit her in the head at a campsite on Yellow Gap Road.

"Tell your deputy there is a man up there with a gun that banged me in the head with his head. He's a mad man trying to kill people," the caller said. "He's in there... he's got a gun. He told me he'd shoot me in the eye and he'd shoot my dog, too. I've got a big knot on my head."

Kathy Wallace, a friend of Brook's who said he had been living with her and her nephew for the past several months, and her nephew were at the North Mills River Campground area on April 16, searching for a service German Shepherd named "Dumbo," Wallace said. The dog belonged to Brook and was always right by his side, she said.

"That dog went with him everywhere. The sheriff's department told us there was a dog that ran away when it all happened, so we're up here trying to find the dog," Wallace said.

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According to a social media post by the Sheriff's Office on April 15, Brook was 29. The Sheriff's Office said deputies involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave per protocol, and that the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation was now in charge of the investigation. The SBI confirmed with the Times-News that it was investigating but wouldn't release the name of the deputies on leave and neither would the Sheriff's Office.

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Wallace said Brook had been living with her and her nephew for the past several months and was a friend of her nephew's. She believes the dog either ran away, being scared by the gunshots, or might have been injured.

"We just want to know what happened to the dog," she said.

When asked if deputies said anything about seeing a dog, the SBI said that wasn't a part of its investigation.

"The scope of the SBI investigation is the officer-involved shooting. I don’t have any specific information about a dog," Grube said.

Although the incident gave a picture of Brook being violent, Wallace said Brook had a compassionate side.

"There was one time when he was out with my nephew, and they ran across a homeless person. They both took off their socks in the cold and gave it to the homeless person. That's the kind of person he really was," she said.

Wallace called Brook "a child of nature."

"He could go out and be on a mountain for a year with nothing but a knife and survive. He knew how to survive and do all that type of stuff," she said.

Wallace said despite his past run-ins with the law, she always told Brook he was family.

"We told him he always had a home with us. The only thing we can do is tell people about his good side and try to find the dog," she said.

Wallace and her nephew placed flyers all around the North Mills River Campground area on April 16. Anyone who sees the dog is encouraged to call 423-335-4017.

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: 3 Henderson deputies part of officer-involved shooting, SBI says