July 20, 1988

Criticism: Some Say Officers Were Slow to Act

Two days after a Davidson County man terrorized southern Forsyth County witha rifle, leaving four people dead and five injured, witnesses and victim's relativesare questioning the actions of law-enforcement officials.

Those familiar with Sunday evening's carnage remain baffled that the Forsyth County Sherrif's Department did not stop the gunman earlier. Michael Charles Hayes was shot by deputies and was in critical condition yesterday at Baptist Hospital.

"I just think it was poorly handled by the Sheriff's Department," said Garry L. Cantrell, an uncle of Crystal Cantrell who was one of Hayes' victims."It was inexcusable, the way they handled it. A bunch of Boy Scouts could have done it better.... Preston Oldham (the sheriff) said he thought deputies acted properly. But whenever deputies stand there and let people be shot at, then something's wrong."

Oldham has declined to answer any questions about his department's handling of the case. "I'm not making any comments or justifications to anybody for anything because we're right in the middle of an investigation," he said.

Requests to the Sheriff's Department to review recordings of conversations between frightened residents of the Old Salisbury and Friedburg roads neighborhood were denied. Oldham said that they would be made available later.

But in conversations with numerous witnesses to Sunday's massacre, a picture emerges of a Sheriff's Department unable - or unwilling - to take necessary and drastic actions against Hayes.

In a press conference Monday, Oldham said that the first call to the Sheriff's Department came in at 11:32 p.m. and that deputies responded immediately.

But Wilburn C. Fishel, who was on duty at the Griffith Volunteer Fire Department, said that he first called authorities "a little after 11 o'clock" when Jeffery A. Parks drove into the parking lot and collapsed.

Parks had been shot in the mouth.

When Fishel called in the shooting as an emergency, all other calls were automatically halted.

Within two minutes, Sheriff's Department cars came barreling down the road" toward the area where Hayes was shooting.

Soon, an ambulance arrived at the Fire Department to take care of Parks.

A witness to the shootings - who insisted that his name not be used - said that he was "almost 100 percent sure" that he called 911 emergency number at 11:15 p.m.

The witness said that he was driving to his house on Old Salisbury Road at 11:10 p.m. when he was confronted by Hayes.

Hayes "ran out to the edge of the road and pointed a gun at my truck, and I stopped," he said. "He asked me: 'Are you ready to die? Are you ready to meet your maker?' "

Hayes let him go through, leaving the man shaken but unhurt. He drove 200 yards to his house and called the emergency number. Then he ran to the street to stop any cars that were driving south on Old Salisbury toward the gunman.

After stopping five cars - and hearing about nine shots - the witness went back inside and called the dispatcher again.

"You better get somebody out here quick," he said he told the dispatcher. "This guy is shooting at somebody." He added that the second call was made by 11:25 p.m.

Confusion over the time that the Sheriff's Department arrived on the scene was not the only matter prompting second-guessing on the part of witnesses.

Poor coordination and communication on the part of the Sheriff's Department hampered a quick end to the shootings, according to witnesses who called the dispatcher.

Stanley K. Parks, who lives at 3229 Old Salisbury Road, called the dispatcher about 11:30 p.m.

"What I told them was, 'Y'all got to seal this road off,' " Parks said.

According to Oldham, deputies were in the area at the time. A roadblock was set up on the south corner of the intersection of Old Salisbury and Friedberg roads. but cars driving south on Old Friedberg Road were not being stopped, and many of the victims drove right up to Hayes and were shot.

"They (the deputies) were too far away," said Parks, who lives across the street from the mopet shop. "Mike (Hayes) hot the people down here....

"I have a strong feeling that things were mishandled."

The witness who was successful in turning away a number of cars also said he thinks that the Sheriff's Department didn't act swiftly enough.

"There's a little blame to lay somewhere as far as how they handled the situation," he said.

The witness said that the deputies were close by and heard Hayes firing, but they reacted too slowly to prevent some of the killings.

"If the sheriffs were there, and they saw a man with a rifle and could see people already hurt ... (they) should've stood their ground and fired back at him."

Hayes wasn't stopped until about 11:45 p.m., according to Oldham.

As the investigation moves into its third day, few details are being released concerning exactly what happened that night on Old Salisbury Road.

Local officials say they, too, want to understand what happened.

"I would hope that the sheriff would provide the (county) commissioners a full report of what happened," said John S. Holleman Jr., a county commissioner. "I would be interested in seeing how our people responded."

A preliminary investigation by the medical examiner, Lew W. Stringer, shows that the victims apparently died from shots fired by the same gun. His investigation continues.