Woman holding Sheetz employee hostage is shot and killed, North Carolina police say
A North Carolina woman who was holding a gas station employee hostage was fatally shot by a deputy Tuesday night, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office said.
After walking into a Sheetz convenience store brandishing a knife, the sheriff’s office said April Robertson held it to the neck of an employee, WXII reported.
The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) said the 45-year-old Lexington woman approached other employees and customers with the knife, prompting one to call 911, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
It was before 11 p.m. when Robertson forced a female Sheetz employee outside of the gas station at knifepoint and then came face to face with sheriff’s deputies, police say, per The Dispatch.
Police say Robertson refused to put down the knife, or comply with the deputy, who shot her, according to WXII.
Despite efforts to revive her, Robertson died, WGHP reported.
The sheriff’s office said the employee, who “sustained minor injuries,” had no connection to Robertson, who it believes randomly picked her, according to The Dispatch.
Information on Robertson’s motive or mental state was unavailable.
The SBI said the deputy who fired the fatal shot is a nine-year veteran patrolman who has been “placed on administrative duties,” while the deadly incident is investigated, per the Winston-Salem Journal.
This story was originally published May 1, 2019 at 5:13 PM.
