Holy shizznit. This is the release on the Sherriff's office FB page.
He is using this incident to request more funding for his own SWAT team, because this incident occurred because the Cherokee Indian SWAT team had to be used. JFC, what an idiotic press release!
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
On the evening of December 12, 2022, Emergency 911 dispatch received a report about a possible shooting and hostage situation on Upper Bear Paw Road in Murphy.
Since the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office does not have a tactical team to handle a hostage event, I requested assistance from the Cherokee Indian Police Department SWAT Team. Subsequently, members of CIPD SWAT fired shots at an individual who emerged from the home, injuring him.
Following the shooting, my office issued a press release about the event. The release was prepared by the county attorney based on information my office received from CIPD.
Neither myself nor Chief Deputy Justin Jacobs were on the scene at the time of the shooting, so we relied on information provided to us from the Cherokee Indian Police Department. My goal with issuing that press release was not to comment on the subsequent criminal investigation, which remains ongoing, but rather to update the public on a dangerous situation.
The first time I ever saw video footage from the shooting was on January 18, 2023. It’s my understanding that the state and district attorney’s office has been notified of the video as well.
When I campaigned for the office of Sheriff, I had several conversations with fellow law enforcement officials and the public about the need for Cherokee County to have its own tactical team. It is imperative for us to be self-reliant when it comes to fighting crime, especially during a situation in which time is of the essence, such as a hostage or active shooter event.
I will be asking county commissioners for the funds to create such a unit when budget negotiations for the next fiscal year begin.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Sincerely,
Dustin Smith
Cherokee County Sheriff