Wicomico County Deputy Shot By Man Wanted On Warrants

CAMBRIDGE, Md. (WJZ) --A sheriff's deputy is shot during a barricade situation in a quiet town on Maryland's Eastern Shore. But that's only the beginning of the story.

Mike Schuh has more on what unfolded.

Police will tell you that shooting incidents are usually over in a matter of seconds. But in this case, it started inside, moved outside and then like the Wild West, continued for more than a half hour.

Police say when a U.S. Marshal task force -- acting on a tip -- came for Tayvon Dobson, he hid upstairs in a friend's house. He then stepped out and opened fire, hitting Wicomico County Sheriff's Deputy Thomas Funk.

"Started hearing a lot of booms, like gunshots going back and forth," said a neighbor.

Police and Dobson kept firing.

"I hear shots, told my daughter to come on in here," said another neighbor.

Closed windows were blown out. Slugs were slammed into nearby homes.

"We're talking 30, maybe 40 shots filed," said Lt. Mark Lewis,  Cambridge Police.  The incident was "very unusual. Probably a total of 30, maybe 45 minutes on and off."

Once Funk was evacuated, the waiting game began, and the neighborhood was put on lockdown.

"That street was blocked off, this was blocked off. Center Street was blocked off. There was nobody anywhere. No one could go anywhere," said Christina Erhlich, neighbor.

In a two-hour standoff, after the first hour, a woman caught inside was released. Police then sent in a relative to talk sense into Dobson.

Police say he was either going to walk out or be carried out.

"I hate to put it like that," an officer said. "You hope it doesn't come to that. But basically that was his choice at that point, and he made the right choice."

Dobson has been wanted for five months. He's been on different warrants. The original ones were for forgery and burglary. He's being held at Cambridge Police Department on those warrants.

For the incident that happened Wednesday, state police will handle the case. It is expected that attempted murder charges are forthcoming.

The bullet passed through the injured officer's left shoulder and he was taken to a Salisbury Hospital. Doctors consider his injuries non-life threatening.