Local

6 guns, nearly 90 shell casings seized at home of standoff that left 5 dead in Boone

BOONE, N.C. — Channel 9 obtained the search warrant from the home where two Watauga County deputies were shot and killed in the line of duty on April 28 while making a routine welfare check.

In the warrant, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agents seized six guns and 89 spent shell casings inside and outside of the home.

Sgt. Chris Ward, 36, K-9 Dep. Logan Fox, 25, and another deputy arrived at the home at 551 Hardaman Circle in Boone at about 9:45 a.m.

They discovered two bodies inside, the warrant stated.

They were later identified as residents George and Michelle Ligon.

Upon entering the home, Ward and Fox were ambushed and struck by gunfire, while the third deputy escaped unharmed.

The gunman, Isaac Alton Barnes, 32, barricaded himself inside the home, which led to a 13-hour standoff.

PAST COVERAGE:

Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman said that Barnes had several weapons, which may have been for a mass shooting.

“Had (the shooter) gotten out of the house, the neighborhood would have been in extreme danger,” Hagaman said. “He did not say anything about targeting law enforcement, just humanity in general.”

Officers were able to pull Ward out of the home where he was taken to a hospital in Johnston City, Tennessee and died.

Fox remained inside the home, where he died.

Barnes died by suicide.

The sheriff said Michelle Ligon was Barnes’ mother, and George Ligon was his stepfather.

The shell casings retrieved by SBI agents could have come from law enforcement and were found in a basement bedroom and storage room.

There were also several knives and a sword found inside the home, the warrant stated.

During a rescue attempt, a Boone police officer was shot in the ballistic helmet and was not injured.

Ward and Fox were laid to rest with full honors Thursday afternoon.