Incident: Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at about 7:53 a.m., on Delco Prosper Road in the Delco area of Columbus County, North Carolina. Reported by the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office the same morning. The arrest was announced Wednesday night. The first appearance was held Thursday, September 17.
A Columbus County deputy stopped a vehicle on Delco Prosper Road at about 7:53 a.m. The driver sped away.
The pursuit ended when the vehicle crashed. The driver got out and ran on foot. A physical altercation followed between the driver and the deputy.
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At about 8:15 a.m., roughly fifteen minutes after the stop, the deputy radioed dispatch to report having been shot. That time was reported by WECT.
The deputy was struck in the arm, drove a short distance to meet another deputy, and was taken from there to an ambulance and on to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center. The sheriff’s office said the deputy was in stable condition.
The driver ran from the scene. More than 75 officers from more than 10 agencies searched the eastern part of Columbus County through the day, including the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, the State Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the North Carolina Highway Patrol, Alcohol Law Enforcement and the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office. Mantracking teams, K-9 units, drones and a helicopter were used.
Sheriff Bill Rogers described the ground being searched. “There’s no cellphone service and in what we call the Green Swamp, there’s nothing but woods around. He’s from this area so he knows the woods, the hunting trails,” Rogers told WWAY.
The search ended with an arrest at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, roughly eleven hours after the shooting.
The sheriff’s office identified the man arrested as William Robert Smith Jr., 48, of Delco Prosper Road. The State Bureau of Investigation said Smith was taken for medical treatment before being booked. The nature of his injuries was not released.
Smith is charged with attempted first-degree murder. Officer.com reported additional charges of assault on a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm by a felon. Columbus County News reported he also faces probation violations tied to a 2024 drug conviction.
Smith is being held at the Columbus County Detention Center. He made a first appearance Thursday morning at the Dempsey B. Herring Courthouse Annex. Columbus County News reported that he appeared virtually.
A judge ordered Smith held without bond.
The charges read at the appearance were attempted first-degree murder, assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a felon. Columbus County News reported he also faces a probation violation tied to a 2024 drug conviction.
The judge assigned Smith a court-appointed attorney. WECT reported his next court date was set for October 1.
Columbus County News reported Thursday that the wounded deputy remained in stable condition at Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center and had undergone one surgery Wednesday. The sheriff’s office has not released the deputy’s identity.
No agency has reported that the deputy or any other officer fired a weapon.
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