Man dead, deputy shot and injured in Chatham County hostage situation
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Deputy shot while responding to active hostage situation near Pittsboro Goldston Road.
- Deputy transported for medical treatment; condition unknown as of Tuesday.
- Sheriff’s Office urges public to avoid area; Pittsboro Goldston Road closed.
A hostage situation in Chatham County Tuesday afternoon left a Goldston man dead and a deputy injured, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies responded to a person barricaded inside a home near the intersection of Pittsboro Goldston Road and U.S. 421, the Sheriff’s Office said.
After concerns escalated about the hostage’s safety, deputies entered the home to rescue the person, the Sheriff’s Office said.
In a late Tuesday update, the Sheriff’s Office said the suspect, 50-year-old Kevin Dean Hammer, was now “deceased” but did not say how he died.
The hostage, whose name and connection to Hammer were not released, was rescued.
Hammer had a bevy of felony larceny charges dating back to the 1990s but none since 2013, court records show. Most recently, he was arrested on Nov. 27 for, among other charges, a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
Hammer was accused of firing a pistol round and telling a woman he had recently dated “if you ever do that again, I won’t miss,” court records show.
Senior Deputy Matthew Mitchell was shot in his arm and leg and was taken to a hospital for treatment. He is in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The State Bureau of Investigation will conduct an investigation, which is standard policy for shootings involving law enforcement.
This story was originally published December 16, 2025 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Man dead, deputy shot and injured in Chatham County hostage situation."
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