Authorities confirm, Henderson County deputy Ryan Hendrix has died from his injuries

HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Authorities confirm Henderson County Deputy Ryan Hendrix has died from his injuries following an early morning shooting.

In a press release, from Major Frank T. Stout, the Sheriff's Office confirmed Deputy Hendrix passed Thursday at 12:57 p.m.

Early this morning while the world slept, Ryan responded to assist a family needing help when they became innocent victims of a violent encounter. We all know the tragic outcome, but Ryan refuses to let the story end there. Even in passing Ryan continues to exemplify a servant’s heart. You see, Ryan was also an organ donor. He will continue to help strangers for a lifetime, even after making the ultimate sacrifice. Ryan’s family wants everyone to know that “Ryan was doing the job he was born to do and he died doing the job he loved”. As arrangements are made, more details will follow.

The Incident

In a press conference, Henderson County Sheriff Lowell Griffin said Deputy Ryan Hendrix, 35, was shot in the face while responding to a call early Thursday morning.

Sheriff Griffin said deputies were responding to reports of a vehicle break-in on Bethea Drive along Piney Ridge in the Mountain Home community at around 2:50 a.m.

The resident reported to authorities that a vehicle appeared to be broken down in the roadway outside of their home. Authorities were later able to determine the vehicle was disabled after a collision that had occurred in the area.

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Moments later, the residents reported hearing a loud noise outside of the home and told authorities they looked out of the window to see the subject breaking into their car.

The resident told authorities there was a weapon hidden inside of the vehicle. Sheriff Griffin said the subject was able to obtain that weapon and shots were exchanged between the subject and the resident. It is unclear, at this time, if the suspect was injured in that exchange.

The resident then moved back inside the home and secured his family.

Just moments later, Henderson County deputies arrived in the area and approached the home on foot in an attempt to find the suspect.

The deputies soon located the suspect, now identified as Robert Ray Doss, Jr., sitting in a pick-up truck across the road from where the original call was placed.

Sheriff Griffin says the suspect initially appeared to comply with authorities but then quickly retrieved the weapon and fired one round at deputies, striking Deputy Hendrix.

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The two other deputies on the scene at the time immediately returned fire, killing the suspect.

Deputy Hendrix quickly moved to a safe location until help arrived. Deputy Hendrix was quickly rushed to Mission Hospital in critical condition.

"Deputy Hendrix is currently in a fight for his life," said Griffin. "This office will continue to pray for his recovery and to pray for his family, to pray for the whole sheriff's office family."

Other Henderson County deputies responded, along with the SWAT Team to secure the scene. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has taken over the investigation.

The investigation led authorities to another person of interest being detained and a search warrant being issued for a room at a local hotel. No other information is being released at this time about the second suspect that was taken into custody.

Just hours after the press conference, Henderson County authorities confirmed Deputy Hendrix had succumbed to his injuries.

Sheriff Griffin says Doss is a career criminal with arrests in Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. At the time of the shooting, Doss was wanted by authorities in South Carolina for a parole violation. His record includes offenses for drugs, multiple larcenies and felony thefts.

Deputy Hendrix was a Marine veteran who has two children, a 6-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl. Deputy Hendrix was engaged to be married next month.

Sheriff Griffin described Deputy Hendrix as an exemplary officer who was also a member of the Henderson County Sheriff’s SWAT Team and had served as a field training officer. "We are all a family. This, this office, this Sheriff's Office, the people here, they are, they're one big family. So, this is a family member that has been critically injured. And, we're all hurting right now," said Sheriff Griffin. "Ryan has been here since 2012, so he's an 8-year veteran of the department, of the office. And, he has done an outstanding job in every aspect that he served in.

Witnesses Describe the Scene

Jeremy Troy tells News 13 he witnessed what happened early Thursday morning. “I heard a loud gunshot. A single gunshot from what sounded to me to be a high caliber round either a shotgun or a 45 or something,” he said.

Troy works at CarSmart Direct off Asheville Highway, right across the street from Piney Ridge Drive which is the neighborhood where deputies say this all happened.

Troy said he was working late when he then heard the sounds of gunfire. “I was watching here to see if there was gonna be a vehicle or something pull out to identify, maybe someone trying to leave or escape,” he said.

Troy told News 13 he then saw a deputy in distress. “One of the squad cars came out and he was driving very erratically, and he kind of ran over the grass here and pulled off just a hundred yards up here, across the road and the officer said ‘I need help.‘ He screamed out ‘I need help,’” said Troy.

He said it was a few moments later and that’s when he saw EMS and dozens of other deputies that began to show up to the scene.

This is a developing story. Check back at wlos.com for the latest updates.

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