By LANCE MARTIN
rrspin.com

ENFIELD – The suspect in a botched robbery inside the Enfield post office Saturday night died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound following a standoff with law enforcement.

Enfield police Chief Tyree Davis said, as of this report, the suspect’s identity was not known.

A drone used to enter the post office helped to confirm the suspect’s death as did the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office Hazardous Entry and Arrest Team, which entered the building after the drone was deployed.

The events unfolded around 6:45 p.m. and ended between 10:45 p.m. and 11 p.m. when it was confirmed the suspect was dead.

The suspect tried to rob a victim who entered the post office to get their mail. The victim, however, fled. The suspect did fire three to four shots at the victim, who was not injured.

The victim managed to call 911 and Enfield Officer Shatel Coates responded, the suspect shooting at her, but missing. The officer’s patrol car was hit.

Coates took cover and called for backup, the Edgecombe, Halifax and Nash county sheriff’s offices responding, along with additional Enfield officers and those from Roanoke Rapids and Scotland Neck. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded as well as the United States Postal Inspector’s Office.

Throughout the standoff, the suspect fired between six to eight rounds in the direction of the officers, Davis said.

Enfield Police Captain Dreher Bozard, a state-certified sniper, fired one shot at the suspect. It was not clear whether Bozard’s shot struck the suspect.

Davis called the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to investigate the robbery and the shooting.

As the standoff continued, officers heard one shot from the inside the post office. That’s when the Nash County Sheriff’s Office used its drone to view the suspect. HEAT then entered the building and determined the suspect was deceased.

“It appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Davis said.

The suspect was armed with a handgun.

SBI Agent John Taylor said, “We’re assisting the Enfield Police Department in any way and any capacity we can.”

The post office was damaged from the gunfire, Davis said.

(Lance Martin is the Editor and Publisher of www.rrspin.com. Permission was given to publish this story.)