Ongoing feud, prior altercation led to deadly shooting at Municipal Services Center
Terry Cobb is pictured here with his wife, LaToya
According to the Winston-Salem Police Department, a prior altercation and ongoing feud led to the deadly shooting at the Jocelyn Johnson Municipal Services Center.
Here’s what we know: around 6:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 20, police were dispatched to 2000 Lowery Street where the Johnson Municipal Building is located. Upon arrival officers heard gunshots on the west side of the complex. After locating where the shots were coming from, officers approached the shooter outside the building, now identified as Stephen Haizlip, 63, and a short gunfight broke out between Haizlip and several officers.
During the gunfight, Sgt. Cameron Stewart Sloan was shot twice and Haizlip was killed. Sgt. Sloan is expected to make a full recovery. After further investigation and clearing the building, officers found Terry Cobb Jr., 49, dead. Curtis Peterson was shot during the altercation as well, but is also expected to make a full recovery.
Just hours after the deadly shooting, Chief Catrina Thompson said after their initial investigation they discovered that Cobb was Haizlip’s target. “Based on what we know at this time, it appears that Mr. Cobb was the specific target of Mr. Haizlip,” Thompson said.
“Although there were other city employees in harm’s way, no one else appeared to be specifically or randomly targeted; as such we are categorizing this event as a workplace violence incident.”
When discussing the incident, Capt. Steven Tollie with the WSPD Criminal Investigation Division, said Cobb and Haizlip, who both worked for the City of Winston-Salem for over a decade, had a long-standing dislike for each other and the day before the shooting, the two men got into an altercation that went unreported.
“The information we’re receiving is these two gentlemen had a long-standing dislike for each other, the source of that dislike I don’t have at this time, but I’m aware of an incident that occurred yesterday between the victim and the offender,” Tollie continued. “They were involved in an altercation yesterday and as far as we can tell, that went unreported to the employer, but I believe that altercation yesterday appears to be the catalyst for today’s incident.”
Although the investigation is still in the early stages, Tollie did note that Haizlip arrived at the Johnson Center with multiple firearms and statements from Haizlip before he died confirmed that Cobb was the target of the shooting.
In response to the deadly shooting, Mayor Allen Joines released the following statement: “On behalf of the City Council, I want to express how deeply saddened we are by the tragic event that occurred this morning involving employees at our Sanitation facility on Lowery Street. Although we do not yet have confirmed details about the incident, our thoughts and prayers are with the employees involved, their families, and their co-workers. We remain dedicated to continuing to ensure that all city employees have a safe and secure workplace.”
Funeral services for Terry Lee Cobb Jr. were held on Friday, Dec. 27, at Red Bank Baptist Church in Germantown. Cobb, who attended Carver High School, was a devoted husband and father of four.
