Background: Law enforcement respond after the shooting of two Robeson County Sheriff”s Office deputies near Maxton, North Carolina (WMBF/YouTube). Insets, left to right: Shawn Locklear Jr. and Deputy Jonathan Walters (Robeson County Sheriff’s Office).
A North Carolina man is facing decades in prison following his involvement in a violent crime spree, during which he shot two deputies, ran over one, and commandeered an ambulance intended to aid the injured officers, according to authorities.
Shawn Locklear Jr., aged 22, received a 45-year federal prison sentence for his crimes, which included using a firearm during a violent crime and possessing a machine gun while trafficking drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina shared this news in a recent announcement. Locklear entered a guilty plea last summer.
Federal prosecutors detailed that Locklear’s initial arrest occurred in March 2022 for an armed robbery involving a firearm. Despite this, he was later released and subsequently faced arrest again on murder and robbery charges. Alarmingly, in May 2023, a state court judge granted bail, allowing him release while awaiting trial for the murder accusations. By September 2023, Locklear was involved in further alleged criminal activities, including choking his sister over accusations of theft involving one of his guns.
These events culminated in a serious incident on November 7, 2023. Deputies from the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, including Deputy Jonathan Walters, attempted to arrest Locklear near Maxton, a rural area close to the North Carolina-South Carolina border. As the deputies approached, Locklear fled from his house into nearby woods.
Upon locating him behind a tree, the officers ordered Locklear to show his hands and surrender. Prosecutors report that Locklear initially revealed his left hand but then unexpectedly appeared from the opposite side of the tree, opening fire on the deputies.
Both Walters and another deputy sustained multiple gunshot wounds to their legs and abdomen. Despite their injuries, the deputies managed to seek cover behind their patrol vehicle. In a desperate move, Locklear seized the opportunity to jump into the patrol car’s driver’s seat, further escalating the chaotic scene.
He then “gunned it in reverse, running over one deputy and almost crushing both.” The deputies managed to shoot Locklear, but he kept driving and “left the deputies to die, bleeding in the dirt.”
After the deputies called emergency services to have someone drive an ambulance to their location, Locklear “intercepted the ambulance speeding” to them, “stopping it in the middle of the road” and forcing its driver to take him to a nearby hospital. Additional deputies responded and placed their injured fellow officers “into the bed of a pickup truck, and rushed them to the same hospital.” Officers then arrested Locklear.
“This demon should not have walked freely in our community after his first crimes in March 2022, and certainly not after the 2023 crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “He is not fit for society, and our families don’t need to worry about him shooting more victims for the next 45 years.”
Walters returned to work in June 2025 after an extensive recovery process. The other deputy was also treated and returned home days after the shooting, regional ABC affiliate WTVD reported at the time.
Locklear still faces a slew of state charges. Not only does he face charges related to the deputy-involved shooting — including two counts of attempted first-degree murder — but he also still stands charged with first-degree murder and other crimes referenced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
The status of the defendant’s cases in North Carolina is unclear, though records show he was supposed to have hearings last week.
