NC state trooper involved in shooting that ends with suspect dead

GRANITE FALLS, N.C. (WTVD) — A state trooper responding to a crash had some harrowing moments as he encountered an armed man, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said Saturday evening.

The trooper responded just after 4:20 p.m. to a crash on Grace Chapel Road in Granite Falls, which is in Caldwell County. Before the trooper got there, first responders at the scene reported that a man involved in the crash had a handgun.

When Senior Trooper William Miller arrived, the man would not comply with commands and kept flashing a handgun. Miller fired a duty-issued weapon, striking the man. After securing the suspect, first responders began rendering aid. The man was taken in the ambulance but died a short time later.

The trooper was unharmed. The suspect was later identified as Scott Patrick Seagle, 48, of Hickory.

Miller is a five-year veteran of the State Highway Patrol and is assigned to Troop F, District 3 (Caldwell County). As is standard, Miller will be placed on administrative duty. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is conducting an independent investigation of the incident.

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