Lance Edward Smith

Deadly force

Around 11 a.m., the Bladen County Sheriff's Office was alerted to a domestic-related incident. When officers arrived, they found a man and a woman sitting in a car. The ,man had a revolver pointed at the woman's head. Hostage negotiators and multiple law enforcement agencies worked for three hours to resolve the conflict. The woman was released moments before the man, Lance Smith, fired on officers, who shot and killed him.