Buncombe County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina
End of Watch: Sunday, April 4, 2004
Age: 34
Tour of Duty: 11 years
Badge Number: E2
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: April 4, 2004
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Committed suicide
Sergeant Jeff Hewitt was shot and killed while serving papers at a residence on Fairhaven Court at about 10:30 pm.
He and three other deputies were serving mental commitment papers to a subject who had been involved in a domestic disturbance earlier in the night. When the officers arrived at the scene, they encountered a locked gate. Sergeant Hewitt climbed over the gate and he observed the suspect hiding in the bushes with a shotgun. The suspect opened fire as Sergeant Hewitt warned the other officers and ordered the suspect to drop the weapon.
The other officers at the scene returned fire, wounding the suspect, who fled a short distance before committing suicide. It is believed that the suspect was waiting for all of the officers to climb over the gate. Then, he was going to attempt to shoot them all. Sergeant Hewitt's actions in warning the other officers is credited with saving their lives.
Sergeant Hewitt was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Gulf War. He had served with the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office for 11 years and was assigned to Edward Squad and SRT. He is survived by his wife, parents, and sisters.
On October 29, 2010 the new bridge on NC 146 over the French Broad River at I-26 was named the Sergeant Hewitt Memorial Bridge in honor of Sergeant Hewitt.