STACY, NC — The small coastal community of Stacy, Carteret County, is mourning the loss of Timothy Glenn Gaskill Jr., whose life ended Monday evening following a tense standoff with law enforcement along U.S. Highway 70. What began as a mental-health crisis tragically escalated into a fatal confrontation, leaving neighbors heartbroken and calling for renewed focus on compassion and crisis response.
According to the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched around 5:30 p.m. on November 3 after receiving reports of a man damaging property and trespassing at a nearby residence at 1235 Highway 70. The man was later identified as Gaskill, a resident of 1215 Highway 70.
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When deputies arrived, officials say Gaskill appeared distressed and was holding two sai blades. He allegedly advanced toward the officers before barricading himself inside his home, prompting a prolonged standoff that lasted several hours.
At approximately 8:45 p.m., the county’s Special Response Team was called to the scene. Despite attempts to negotiate and de-escalate the situation, the encounter ended in gunfire. Medical personnel on site rendered aid, but Gaskill was pronounced dead at the scene.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has taken over the case as an independent investigation, a standard procedure in officer-involved shootings. Authorities have not released further details about the sequence of events or the number of deputies involved.
For many in Stacy, the tragedy feels deeply personal. Friends and neighbors describe Timothy Gaskill Jr. as a kind, generous man who often helped others quietly and without recognition. Though he had faced mental-health challenges, they say he was known for his warmth, humor, and readiness to lend a hand when others were in need.
“He wasn’t just what happened that night,” one longtime neighbor said. “He was someone who’d help fix your fence, share a laugh, or check on you after a storm. That’s the Timothy we’ll remember.”
In the days following his death, community members have gathered informally to share memories, comfort one another, and question how a man so well-known for his kindness met such an end.
The incident has reignited discussions about crisis intervention and mental-health response in law enforcement. Carteret County’s Sheriff’s Office operates a Crisis Intervention Team trained to handle mental-health emergencies, yet the case underscores the complexity — and high stakes — of such encounters.
As the SBI investigation continues, the community’s focus has turned toward remembrance and reflection. Residents say they hope Timothy’s story will serve as a call for deeper empathy, better mental-health support, and continued training for officers who respond to people in distress.
Though the investigation may take time, one truth is already clear to those who knew him: Timothy Glenn Gaskill Jr. will be remembered not for the tragedy that ended his life, but for the kindness, laughter, and quiet strength that defined it.