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Buncombe County Deputy Shot, Killed - Suspect Found Dead Hours Later

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A Buncombe County sheriff's deputy and the man who allegedly shot him are dead after gunfire erupted Sunday night.

The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office said Sgt. Jeff Hewitt and two other deputies went to 20 Fairhaven Ct. in the Skyland community to serve papers o­n Eddie Cassada around 10 p.m.

Investigators said as the deputies approached, Cassada, 56, opened fire o­n them, killing Hewitt.

Cassada fled the scene o­n foot. When deputies found him about three hours later, Cassada was dead of a gunshot wound. It's uncertain whether the wound was self-inflicted.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident. Hewitt, 33, had been with the department for more than a decade.