Man armed with pizza cutter charged at Nash deputy before being shot, sheriff says

A Nash County deputy shot a man armed with a pizza cutter on Thursday morning, the sheriff said.

Around 7:30 a.m., homeowner William Vandermeulen called 911 and the deputy responded to a reported home invasion along Big Woods Road in Spring Hope.

"I'm still shocked [because] you just never expect this," Vandermeulen said.

Vandermeulen said he was going through his morning routine. He and his wife Michelle Vandermeulen heard a commotion, thinking it might be their son.

"He was really agitated, and that's when he ran to the kitchen, to the sink, looking for something and grabbed the pizza cutter out of the drain," Michelle Vandermeulen said.

Michelle Vandermeulen said she was unsure what the man was after.

According to Sheriff Keith Stone, the homeowner provided a description of the man who had broken into his home and stolen some items. The man then took off on foot down US-64 Alt. and encountered the deputy on Big Jim Road.

Stone says the man, who was armed with a pizza cutter, then charged at the deputy, who fired one shot.

The sheriff's office said the suspect is named Juan Salazar, age 33. According to Stone, the deputy involved in the shooting is named Sgt. Miguel Salazar, age 29, and he's been with the office for three years. Despite their shared last names, there appears to be no relation.

Sky 5 flew overhead at 9 a.m., where Big Jim Road was blocked off and law enforcement were gathered.

According to Stone, the deputy was not injured in the shooting. He said the suspect was treated at the scene by EMS about 10 minutes after being shot. He is in critical, but stable condition.

Stone says it's early in the investigation to know what exact charges the suspect will face. He said while the man wasn't known to him or his leadership, the man does have a criminal record.

"I think he has lived here, but he's also lived in Florida and Georgia," Stone said. "I don't think he knew [the homeowners]."

Sgt. Salazar is on administrative leave, as is normal protocol. The SBI will investigate the shooting.

The Nash County Sheriff's Office is facing a shortage of deputies. On Thursday morning, only four deputies were working across the entire county -- concerning because it lessens response time to dangerous crimes. Stone said he's 14 to 15 deputies short, and only four patrol officers were out working.

"It's very disturbing to me for the simple fact that we have 543 square miles and nearly 100,000 people," he said. "It's a danger not only to the citizens, but to my law enforcement officers. In this situation here, it could have been the other way around and my officer lying out there and me having to go notify next-of-kin."

"When you have backup that's 10 minutes away and the nearest vehicle to you is at our sheriff's office because we're running so short, it is a problem," he said.

Stone thanked Spring Hope Police Department for responding and being on the scene, but added many areas are so remote that there are no police officers nearby to provide back-up.

"Law enforcement is having more encounters now, probably than ever before, with aggravated assaults. We're seeing it across the nation," he said. "We try to focus on training and doing better techniques, but obviously you need a full staff in order to do that."

Stone said the home invasion happened in a "quaint" area of Nash County, where he doesn't typically see break-ins like this. He encouraged all residents to stay safe and take steps like locking their doors and not answering your door unless you know who is visiting.

"It's a serious job. It's a deadly job. That's a lot on a law enforcement officer. My deputy will have to live with this the rest of his life," Stone said. "Understand, if law enforcement doesn't stop these threats, nobody else is coming. I just commend the actions of my deputy. His quick thinking and actions prevailed today, and he's able to go home and be with his family."