Hung jury for Sampson County deputy shooting case, suspect remains in custody

The trial of Michael Walthall, accused of shooting a Sampson County sheriff’s deputy, ended in a hung jury.

Walthall allegedly put Sampson County Deputy Caitlin Emanuel in a stranglehold, causing her gun to discharge in a 2022 incident.

The jury was deadlocked at 11-1 on three out of five felony charges, including assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

It remains uncertain if the case will be retried.

Walthall remains in custody.

Case background

The shooting happened in July 2022, when Deputy Emanuel responded to a vehicle theft on Hayne Stretch Road near Roseboro.

According to the sheriff’s office, shortly after she made contact with the suspect, Emanuel radioed for backup.

Another deputy arrived on the scene to find Emanuel had been shot twice—once in the upper thigh, which shattered her femur, and once in the heel, with the bullet exiting through the arch of her foot.

“My femur was broken by the shot to my upper thigh, and the second bullet went into my heel and came out through the side of my foot,” Emanuel said.

Her partner, Deputy Tyler Spell, quickly applied a tourniquet and rushed her to the hospital.

For Emanuel, she believed her life was over.

“I was certain I was going to die that night,” Emanuel said. “Whether from a gunshot to the head or some other way, I knew I was going to die.”

She believes the quick arrival of backup saved her life.

“All I can say is, I’m just lucky to be alive,” Emanuel said.