A man wanted for attempted murder in Statesville died Thursday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound following a standoff in Burke County, police said Monday in a news release.
Joel Scott Winbush Jr. was found dead inside a home on Tenth Street in Hildebran after barricading himself for several hours and refusing commands from law enforcement.
Winbush was the primary suspect in a Feb. 3 shooting at the Microtel Inn in Statesville that left a man with critical injuries.
The United States Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office located Winbush at the residence while attempting to serve warrants for attempted first-degree murder and other felony charges.
Statesville Police Department officers first responded to the Microtel Inn on Landson Drive at approximately 2 a.m. on Feb. 3.
Upon arrival, they located a man in the hotel lobby suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his face and abdomen.
Officers provided medical aid at the scene until Iredell County Emergency Medical Services arrived, police said.
The victim was transported to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center for treatment.
Detectives later determined the shooting occurred following an altercation in a nearby parking lot.
Winbush, who was not a resident of Statesville, was identified as the suspect following an investigation into the evidence collected at the scene.
Winbush was charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon.
The Statesville Police Department requested assistance from the United States Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force to locate him.
On Thursday, the task force and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office tracked Winbush to the Tenth Street residence. Investigators received information that he was staying at the home and was armed.
When officers attempted to take him into custody, he barricaded himself inside and refused commands to surrender.
The refusal to exit the home prompted a large-scale tactical response, police said. After several hours of negotiations and a standoff, law enforcement officers entered the residence.
They found Winbush suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
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