ARDEN, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A man wanted on an attempted murder warrant and several other charges ran from Buncombe County sheriff’s deputies Monday afternoon, setting off a search in Arden that prompted school lockdowns and disrupted afternoon dismissal.
The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as Durrell Marquise Norris.
Deputies responded to a breaking and entering in progress at a home on Woodnettle Lane shortly after noon Monday, Oct. 26. When they arrived, Norris came out of the home and ran, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies searched the area around Glenn Bridge Road and New Rockwood Road on the ground and with drones. A North Carolina State Highway Patrol helicopter also joined the search.
The sheriff’s office said Norris has outstanding warrants for attempted first-degree murder, assault by strangulation, habitual misdemeanor assault, assault by pointing a gun and possession of a firearm by a felon. The warrants also include a habitual felon allegation, and Norris has an order for arrest for driving while impaired.
The sheriff’s office said the outstanding warrants are unrelated to Monday’s break-in.
The law enforcement activity prompted perimeter lockdowns at several Buncombe County schools, including Avery’s Creek Elementary, W.W. Estes Elementary, Glen Arden Elementary, Koontz Intermediate, Valley Springs Middle and T.C. Roberson High. The Progressive Education Program, housed at Roberson, was also affected.
A Buncombe County Schools spokesperson said students being picked up by car were allowed to leave, but buses and students who walk home were initially held while school officials worked with law enforcement to determine when they could safely leave.
The district notified parents of the dismissal changes.
During the search, the sheriff’s office urged residents near Glenn Bridge Road, Bradley Branch Road and New Rockwood Road to stay inside their homes and call 911 if they saw anyone or anything suspicious.
The sheriff’s office also confirmed that Monday’s incident was unrelated to Saturday’s double homicide on Pine Needle Lane in Arden, where two men were found shot to death.
“As we continue the investigation into Durrell Norris’ whereabouts and today’s breaking and entering, we ask the community to contact the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office with any information on his location,” BCSO District 1 Capt. Dustan Auldredge said in a statement.
The sheriff’s office did not say whether Norris had been located as of its latest update.
