Man who shot passing car is killed by pursuing deputy, North Carolina sheriff says

A man accused of randomly shooting a passing car was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy during the resulting foot chase, according to investigators in Moore County, North Carolina.

It happened around 10:45 p.m. Saturday in the 400 block of Carthage Street in Cameron, the Moore County Sheriff’s Office said in a March 23 news release. Cameron is about a 55-mile drive southwest from downtown Raleigh.

“A motorist reported that a person walking along the roadway had fired a gun, striking their vehicle (on Carthage Street). ... No injuries were reported by the occupants of the vehicle,” the sheriff’s office said.

“A deputy arrived within approximately two minutes and located an armed individual matching the description in the 400 block of Carthage Street. The individual, later identified as 52-year-old Harvey Franklin Hardy of Cameron, North Carolina, fled on foot.”

The deputy chased the suspect around a building, and that’s when “Hardy fired his weapon,” officials said.

“The deputy returned fire, and Hardy was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the sheriff’s office said. “The deputy was not injured during the incident.”

Investigators have not released details of a possible motive for the shot being fired at a passing car.

His death is being investigated as an “officer involved shooting” by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

The deputy’s identity was not released.

This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 11:20 AM.