Deputy Sheriff Logan Fox

Officer: Watauga County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Sheriff Logan Fox

Date: 4/28/2021          Location: Boone, NC             FACTORS (1,2,3,4,5,7,15,19,21)

Perpetrator(s) Involved: Isaac Alton Barnes

Criminal Activity History/Involved: Several people called the Sheriff’s office a week earlier warning them that Barnes was “dangerous” and “had a lot of guns”, but he was never located and no charges were filed./Yes, Barnes ambushed the deputies and also murdered his mother and stepfather.

Mental Illness: Yes, Barnes sister told how he “seemed paranoid and delusional”, and he committed suicide which is an indicator of mental illness.

Substance Abuse History/Involved: Unknown./Yes, the “medical examiner told deputies that drug use and mental health played a role in the standoff.”

Race/Sex/Age: White/Male/32

What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At approximately 9:44 a.m. on April 28, 2021, K-9 Deputy Logan Fox and Sergeant Chris Ward responded to a house to perform a welfare check on a family requested by their employer after they did not show up for work that morning. The deputies were aware the son, Isaac Barnes was dangerous, but they did not think he was at the house.

Actions taken by subject toward police: Barnes ambushed the deputies when they entered the house, fatally shooting them both.

Reactions by the police: Officers from over a dozen law enforcement agencies responded to the scene. Responding deputies managed to remove one of the fallen deputies from the house before being engaged in a near 13 hour standoff which ended when Barnes killed himself.

How murdered? Deputy Sheriff Fox was ambushed and fatally shot while performing a welfare check.

What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? Given that Barnes was known to be armed and dangerous, the deputies could have requested a tactical unit respond, or made a tactical entrance anticipating Barnes presence.

Would the officer have been justified to use deadly force before being murdered? It appears the deputies were shot before having a chance to identify the deadly threat posed by Barnes.

Outcome for the cop-killer: Barnes committed suicide during the standoff.

Miscellaneous: This is another example of the mental health system failing society and law enforcement. Barnes’ family tried to get him help, reached out to mental health advocates, only to learn the hard lesson that “the resources weren't there to help him.”