A man accused of shooting two Robeson County sheriff’s deputies in 2023 while he was out on bond was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to other charges, the U.S. Attorney for Eastern North Carolina said Monday.
Shawn Tobin Locklear Jr. pleaded guilty last year to using a gun during a violent crime and possessing a machine gun while selling drugs, U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle’s office said in a news release.
Locklear Jr. also faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder and two charges of assault with a deadly weapon after investigators said he shot two deputies and ran them over with their patrol car on November 7, 2023, court records show.
Locklear Jr. was 20 when he shot the deputies, who were attempting to arrest him at his home near Maxton, according to investigators and Boyle. The case raised questions about the cash bail system that allowed Locklear Jr. to be out of jail that day.
“This demon should not have walked freely in our community after his first crimes in March 2022, and certainly not after the 2023 crimes,” Boyle said during a news conference in Raleigh on Monday. “He is not fit for society, and our families don’t need to worry about him shooting more victims for the next 45 years.”
A North Carolina judge released Locklear Jr. on bond in 2022 after police said he used a gun to commit an armed robbery. Eight months later, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office charged Locklear Jr. with murder and armed robbery in the death of a Red Springs man. “Shockingly,” a judge released him on bond again, Boyle’s office said. Locklear Jr. posted a $250,000 bond in that case, the Border Belt Independent previously reported.
In September 2023, Locklear Jr. was accused of choking his sister and cutting off his ankle monitoring device. The sentencing Monday stemmed from this case, when investigators said they found drugs and firearms, including machine guns, in Locklear Jr.’s car.
In November 2023, sheriff’s deputies Jonathan Walters and Kaelin Locklear went to the suspect’s home to arrest Locklear Jr. Kaelin Locklear and Shawn Tobin Locklear Jr. are not related.
Upon the deputies’ arrival, Locklear Jr. ran into the woods. Their body-worn cameras show them telling Locklear Jr. to show his hands, Boyle’s office said. Locklear Jr. then “unleashed a blaze of bullets,” striking Walters in the leg and Locklear in the torso.
The deputies took cover behind their patrol car. Locklear Jr., who was also shot, allegedly stole the vehicle, putting it into reverse and running over and breaking Walters’ leg.
The deputies called for an ambulance, which Locklear Jr. intercepted and commandeered, forcing emergency responders to take him to Scotland Memorial Hospital in Laurinburg for treatment, Boyle said. Other deputies responded and took Walters and Locklear to Scotland Memorial in the bed of a pickup truck.
Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said at the time of the shooting that he was “disgusted” by the judge’s decision that allowed the suspect out of jail on bond.
“By the grace of God, the two deputies who were shot and run over with a stolen patrol car survived, and we remain deeply grateful for their courage, resilience, and recovery,” Wilkins said at the Monday press conference. “This outcome sends a clear message that violence against those who serve and protect our communities daily will not be tolerated, and those responsible will be held fully accountable.”
An analysis by the Border Belt Independent shortly after the shootings showed that at least six of the roughly 66 people who were charged with first- or second-degree murder the prior year in cases investigated by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office were out on pre-trial release as of January 2024.
Locklear Jr. was among at least three people in the county who were charged with murder or attempted murder in 2023 after being released on bond for previous charges of murder or attempted murder, according to the analysis.
A month before the deputies were shot, a new law reforming pre-trial release, House Bill 813, went into effect. The law encourages judges to use a risk assessment model to decide whether a person charged with a violent crime like murder and rape can be released before trial.
Previously, magistrates set bail based on the likelihood a person would show up to court.
Last year, N.C. Gov. Josh Stein signed House Bill 307 into law. The legislation further restricts pre-trial release for those charged with violent offenses and with signs of mental illness. It is commonly called Iryana’s Law for Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian refugee killed on the Charlotte light rail in August. The suspect, DeCarlos Brown Jr., had a criminal history dating back to 2013, according to court documents. He also had a long history of mental health problems, including schizophrenia.