HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW.com) – The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office has released the names of the deputies involved in a fatal shooting earlier this month on North Mills River Road.

In a Facebook post late Wednesday afternoon, Sheriff Lowell Griffin said he was only going to give a brief summary of the April 13 shooting as the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation remains in charge of the investigation.

He did, however, identify the officers involved in the shooting as Lance Cpl. Zachary Tatham, Deputy Stephen McDonald and Deputy Conner Newman.

On April 15, the sheriff’s office identified the victim as Hayden Elias Brook, 29, of Tennessee, saying he died at the scene.

In Wednesday’s Facebook post, Griffin said at 6:07 p.m. Saturday, April 13, deputies responded to a report of a disturbance “with a possible assault” near the end of North Mills River Road in Pisgah National Forest.

A release after the shooting said deputies responded to a report of a person with a gun threatening people at North Mills River Campground.

Griffin said Wednesday deputies encountered a vehicle they believed to be occupied by the suspect and attempted to stop it before it fled on North Mills River Road in the direction of Mills River. The vehicle crashed shortly after deputies attempted to stop it.

“Immediately after the deputies exited their marked patrol vehicles, the suspect identified as Hayden Elias Brook began discharging a weapon,” Griffin said. “The circumstances of the incident, to include the discharging of a weapon, would lead any reasonable officer to fear for their safety. The deputies present subsequently discharged their weapons.”

Deputies attempted to render medical aid to Brook before medical care was turned over to personnel from the Henderson County Emergency Medical Service and Mills River Fire and Rescue, Griffin said.

“I’m unable to provide any other details as I feel it’s critically important for the SBI to be able to conduct the complete investigation free from any influence,” Griffin said.

A spokesperson for the NCSBI said the agency did not have any updates to provide.

828newsNOW.com obtained the personnel files for the deputies involved in the shooting.

According to those records, Tatham, 33, was hired as a senior deputy in October 2021. He was promoted to master deputy in March 2023 and was reclassified to shift detective in April of that year.

Records indicate McDonald, 25, was hired in December 2022 as a deputy 2. He transferred to patrol/MR in February 2023 and a K9 position in June 2023.

According to records, Newman, 23, was hired as a deputy trainee in August 2021. He transferred to patrol in July 2022 and patrol/MR in February 2023.