Prosecutors claim that a man “left the deputies to die” by ambushing police officers with “blaze of bullets,” running one of them over, and stealing an ambulance while the policemen were “bleeding in the dirt.”

Shawn Tobin Locklear Jr., a 22-year-old from Maxton, North Carolina, received a 45-year federal prison sentence for shooting two Robeson County Sheriff’s deputies, running one over with their patrol car, and stealing an ambulance during a November 7, 2023, confrontation.​

Criminal Background

Locklear faced prior arrests: armed robbery in March 2022 (released on bond), murder and robbery charges in November 2022 (again released on $250,000 bond in May 2023), and September 2023 assault on his sister plus drug/machine gun possession after cutting off his ankle monitor. These repeated releases despite violent history drew sharp criticism from U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.​

Shootout Details

Deputies Jonathan Walters and Kaelin Locklear arrived to arrest him; he fled into woods, hid behind a tree, then fired multiple rounds, striking Walters in the leg and Kaelin in the torso/gut. Wounded deputies took cover; Locklear stole their patrol car, reversed over Walters (breaking his leg), and fled despite being shot himself. He intercepted an arriving ambulance, forcing medics to drive him to Scotland Memorial Hospital, where additional deputies rushed the victims via pickup truck.​

Aftermath and Charges

Walters returned to duty in June 2025 after recovery; the other deputy went home days later. Locklear pleaded guilty last summer to using a gun in violent crime and possessing a machine gun during drug sales. He faces pending state charges including two counts of attempted first-degree murder, plus original murder/robbery cases.

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