Do you want to help the Wake sheriff’s deputy shot with an assault rifle? Here’s how.
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office has set up an account to accept donations for a veteran deputy shot with an AK-47 assault rifle while serving an eviction notice at a Raleigh apartment complex this month.
To help Sgt. Ronald Waller, who was shot June 2, people can visit any of the 272 State Employees Credit Union of North Carolina branches and make a donation to the Ronald Waller fund, Sheriff Gerald Baker said at a news conference Thursday.
“Sgt. Waller’s life is obviously forever changed as he continues to recover from his injuries,” he said.
The fund was started with the blessing of Waller’s family, Baker said.
“He is doing well,” Baker said. “He has been through a series of surgeries with a focus around his leg, trying to make sure he is going to be able to recover.”
Waller is out of intensive care and doing better, said Baker who said he has visited Waller a few times. Waller has been surrounded by Sheriff’s Office staff since the shooting, Baker said.
“We are hurt,” Baker said about the shooting of one of his deputies. “It’s disturbing.”
June 2 shooting
Around 10:13 a.m. June 2, Waller approached the door of Eddie Dewain Craig, 32, for a second time at the River Birch at Town Center Apartments on Old Wake Forest Road. Waller, who has been a deputy for more than 20 years, was serving eviction papers, The News & Observer reported.
The deputy identified himself, Baker has said, and the man tried to shut the door.
Waller tried to stop him, and gunfire came from inside the apartment and struck Waller twice, the sheriff said.
Craig now faces numerous felony charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to kill and attempted murder, according to Raleigh police.
His mother told The N&O she had previously had concerns about her son, and she would often ask law enforcement to perform welfare checks.
Neighbors said Craig had lived at the apartment for two years and had worked at a Jiffy Lube and an Arby’s until the pandemic hit.
A nationwide eviction moratorium, which was first instituted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last September, protects certain tenants from evictions filed due to nonpayment of rent.
In order to be eligible for protection, tenants must submit a written declaration to their landlord that they cannot pay rent because of COVID-related financial burdens.
Landlords can challenge the truthfulness of a tenant’s declaration form in court.
Other evictions, such as those due to alleged criminal activity or overstaying leases, are still allowed under the CDC order.
44 more eviction notices
Baker said deputies plan to serve about 44 more eviction notices in the next week.
Following the shooting, sheriff’s officials have been evaluating how they handle evictions and related notices, including ensuring that deputies serving civil documents wear bullet-proof vests, Baker said.
In the future, if a person doesn’t cooperate, officials may bring in the special response team, Baker said.
“In review of what happened, we always want to make sure that it doesn’t again,” Baker said. “But you are dealing with the unknown. You are dealing with someone who is on the other side of the door that is dealing with a whole lot of different things.”
Staff reporter Ben Sessoms contributed to this report.
Donations can also be mailed to: State Employees Credit Union NC, c/o Ronald Waller Fund, 1595 Corporation Parkway, Raleigh, N.C., 27604.
