Deputy shoots, kills man

February 13, 2012

Authorities in Alexander County say a sheriff's deputy shot and killed a man who threatened him with an ax.

Sheriff Chris Bowman said deputies were called Sunday night to a home where the wife of 47-year-old William Frederick Ippolito was staying with a friend.

Ippolito and his wife had recently separated, and Bowman said Ippolito assaulted the friend.

Bowman said Ippolito drove home, and later opened the door holding the ax.

The sheriff said Ippolito lunged toward officers with the ax, and one officer fired at Ippolito, hitting him in the chest three times. Ippolito was taken to Iredell Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The unidentified officer is on administrative leave pending the outcome of a State Bureau of Investigation probe.