Lieutenant Glenn Harold Hicks

Glenn Harold Hicks

Lieutenant Glenn Hicks was shot and killed as he and his partner responded to a 911 call about a disturbance created by a mentally disturbed subject at 3:10 pm.

The subject heard the call on his police scanner and setup an ambush from inside his house. As the two deputies got out of their patrol car, the subject ambushed them with a shotgun. The man first shot Lieutenant Hicks' partner in the face with bird shot. As Lieutenant Hicks came to his partner's aid he was shot in the face with .00 buckshot and killed instantly. His partner attempted to make it back to the patrol car, but was shot again in the back with .00 buckshot. He was able to crawl to the patrol car and called for assistance.

The subject fled to a nearby cave and remained there for several hours during negotiations. Nearly 400 local, state, and federal officers from across western North Carolina rushed to the scene. When negotiations failed, two flash-bang devices were detonated, which caused the suspect to surrender. Several weeks prior, all of the subject's guns were confiscated due to a complaint from his family about his mental stability. The guns were returned several days before the shooting by court order because the family refused to testify against him.

On July 22nd, 2005, the subject was found incompetent to stand trial. In November 2013 he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a state hospital.

Lieutenant Hicks had been a reserve deputy for the Avery County Sheriff's Office for five years and had served as a full-time deputy for three years. Lieutenant Hicks' badge number was retired in his honor.

He is survived by his wife, son, sister, two brothers, and three grandchildren. Lieutenant Hicks's son and a brother also serve with the Avery County Sheriff's Office. His grandson later joined the McDowell County Sheriff's Office.

In February 2004 the North Carolina Department of Transportation approved naming a bridge on NC Highway 194 after Lieutenant Hicks, and in 2008 the town of Newland renamed a street approaching the county courthouse Glenn Hicks Lane in his honor.