Woman killed, suspect dies after shootout in Cabarrus County

HARRISBURG, N.C. — Two people are dead following a deputy-involved shooting in Harrisburg on Monday.

According to the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a 911 call regarding a dispute in the Providence Manor subdivision.

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Chopper 9 Skyzoom flew over the scene around 6 p.m. on Monday where we could see a massive police presence on Hammermill Drive off Roberta Road.

The sheriff’s office said when deputies arrived, they saw a man shoot and kill a woman outside a house. The man then shot at the deputies, who returned fire.

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The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies said the man also died.

The sheriff’s office said on Tuesday that the suspect died “as a result of an apparent suicide,” according to an initial investigation, but the final determination will be made by the medical examiner’s office and State Bureau of Investigations.

The suspect was identified as Willie Lawrence Wimbley, 47.

The victim was identified on Tuesday as Chartara Laverta Courtney, 43.

CCSO investigators said Courtney and Wimbley “were previously known to have been in a dating relationship.”

The deputies involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard protocol.

The sheriff’s office confirmed to Channel 9 that no deputies were hurt.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is also investigating the incident.

Cabarrus County Chief Deputy Tessa Burchett spoke exclusively with Channel 9′s Hannah Goetz at the scene Monday night. She said deputies called Concord Police for backup and that’s why there was such a large police presence.

“When you hear a call like that, you hear that kind of radio traffic, there’s going to be a major response trying to do anything they can to help keep one another safe and keep the residents safe,” Burchett said.

Channel 9 listened to the 911 call but chose not to air the recording since it was the final moments of the woman’s life. In the call, we could hear what sounds like the woman reasoning with someone in the background, asking them to talk it out. The woman told the 911 dispatcher they were having a dispute and arguing over something personal. She told the dispatcher not to send anyone out.

“If there’s a 911 hang up, and we cannot determine that it’s any type of, you know, just child calling, or anything like that, we will respond just to ensure that anyone on the other side of that phone that maybe cannot speak to see if they’re safe,” Burchett said. “So, we’ll respond regardless, initially, and that’s always a two-unit response after that. As they heard more radio traffic, there was a much greater response.”

‘Like a warzone’

Neighbor Yakita Benson was making dinner Monday for her seven kids while her husband was on his way home from work.

“I’m cooking, and I hear the gunshot,” So it was just like, What is going on?” she said Tuesday night.

The U.S. Air Force veteran’s instincts kicked in.

“OK, every, everybody get upstairs,” she told her kids. “We hid in the bathroom.”

They saw police officers with guns drawn lined up and down the street.

“It felt like a movie,” she said. “It was like a warzone.”

Nickolas Crawford, who also lives nearby, watched a security video from his phone Monday night as his wife hid in fear.

“We started hearing gunfire,” Crawford said Tuesday night. “And once we heard gunfire, we actually got to our knees and crawled to our closet.”

Other neighbors said they were trying to process what they witnessed on Monday night.

A woman who lives a few doors down from the scene said it looked like officers and deputies were focused on one home and surrounded it from all directions.

“I see the police, they’re all set up behind the cars. They have sniper rifles, they have a bunch of guns and they’re yelling, ‘come out, come out,’” the neighbor, who did not want to be identified, told Channel 9′s Jonathan Lowe.

“Once I see them go behind the house, and I see them pull out these guns, like they have stands for these guns, I realize it’s getting serious,” she said.

Another neighbor, Jackie Raymer, said she noticed that law enforcement had been to the house recently.

“Yesterday, when we left the house to go out, there were three different sheriff’s cars parked on the street,” she said. “Last night before I went to bed, there was one parked in front of our house, between our house and the next-door neighbor, so I think it’s odd that something was going on yesterday.”

But Raymer said she didn’t expect something that seemed unusual to turn deadly.

“I think it’s very disconcerting,” she said.

This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.

VIDEO: Heavy police presence in Harrisburg after deputy-involved shooting