At 6:34 AM Saturday morning (Oct. 1st), deputies with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a hostage situation on Village Circle in the Mountain View community. When deputies arrived they discovered an adult male was holding another adult male family member hostage. The hostage taker was armed with a handgun.

Catawba County’s Special Tactics and Response (STAR) and Crisis Intervention and De-escalation Teams responded. Crisis negotiators and deputies made several attempts to de-escalate the situation and to encourage the hostage taker to release the hostage. Despite efforts by negotiators and deputies to bring about a peaceful resolution, the hostage taker continued to threaten the hostage and was shot by deputies.  Catawba County EMS provided treatment to the hostage taker who was ultimately pronounced deceased on scene.

The hostage taker was identified as Bobby Roy Farthing, 62.  The hostage was one of Farthing’s adult sons.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is initiating an investigation into this incident. The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office is also conducting an internal review. Names of those involved have not yet been released.

Sheriff Don Brown commented: “These incidents are tragic for all involved. We are thankful that the hostage was not injured and that no further loss of life occurred. We will assist and cooperate fully with the SBI as they investigate.  Our thoughts and prayers are with this family and with all of law enforcement officers and their families affected by this incident.”