Holly MatkinRoxboro, NC – A career criminal on trial for his latest misdemeanor charge became enraged inside a North Carolina courtroom late last week and began attacking people, to include the bailiff and a Roxboro police officer.
The incident occurred inside the Person County Courthouse on Sept. 9, after 35-year-old Christopher Thomas Vaughan was convicted of misdemeanor false imprisonment, WRAL reported.
According to a source, Vaughan began yelling and threw a chair, then started trying to attack people inside the courtroom.
He even charged the judge’s bench during the outburst, witnesses told the Associated Press.
As two court officers tried to subdue the violent suspect, Vaughan allegedly grabbed onto the bailiff’s duty pistol and tried to gain control of it, WRAL reported.
That’s when a Roxboro police officer opened fire on him, ending the threat, a witness told the news outlet.
The officer suffered a broken hand during the brawl and the bailiff was left with scratches on his neck and a gash on his head, WRAL reported.
They were transported to a local medical facility, where they were treated and released.
The courthouse was shut down entirely for the rest of the day.
Vaughan was rushed to Duke University Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds one day later, WNCN reported.
According to Department of Public Safety records, Vaughan was previously convicted of various drug charges, larceny, breaking and entering, and assault charges dating back to 2003, according to WRAL.
He was arrested on felony firearms and drug charges in Wake County last year.
During another incident in 2019, Vaughan barricaded himself inside a hotel during a standoff with Durham police.
He was wanted on various assault and fugitive charges at the time, WRAL reported.
Vaughan was also involved in a similar situation in Kannapolis in 2018, according to the news outlet.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is handling the ongoing investigation into the fatal officer-involved shooting, WRAL reported.
