GREENSBORO — A Pleasant Garden man fatally wounded by a Guilford County deputy in late September suffered hemorrhages from two gunshot wounds, including one that struck a main artery, according to an autopsy report released Tuesday.
Dylan William Hartsfeld, 25, was shot twice in the abdomen on Sept. 30 by deputy Vic Maynard, authorities have said.
The sheriff's office has maintained that Hartsfeld was attempting to attack the deputy and EMS personnel with a weapon when Maynard opened fire.
Hartsfeld's family has repeatedly denied that account and said Hartsfeld was not armed.
The autopsy, which was performed by the N.C. Medical Examiner's Office, shows one round struck Hartsfeld about 4 inches above his navel. The other round entered on the left side of his torso in the bowel region.
The report indicates injuries to the aorta - the largest artery in the body - bowel, spine and pelvis. The injuries resulted in internal hemorrhaging, the report says. An official cause of death is listed as "gunshot wounds of the abdomen."
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing, according to a State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman.
The SBI handles all law enforcement involved shootings in the state.
Once the SBI investigation is complete, investigators will turn their findings over to the district attorney's office, which will rule whether the shooting was justified.
Authorities were called to Hartsfeld's home at 307 E. Steeplechase Road just after 3 p.m. on Sept. 30 by his father. Hartsfeld had fallen down a flight of steps and possibly damaged his shoulder, which had recently been operated on.
According official recordings of the 911 call and emergency radio traffic, Hartsfeld argued with his father about not wanting to go to the hospital.
Maynard can be heard on the radio recordings saying he had opened fire on Hartsfeld after the man came at him with a machete.
Family and friends of Hartsfeld's have said he suffered from behavioral problems they believe may have been undiagnosed post traumatic stress disorder from his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the Army.
Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com
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