The Old Salisbury Road Shootings are one of the worst tragedies in North Carolina’s history. On a dimly lit section of road in Forsyth County, North Carolina, on July 17, 1988 (some sources say the 18th), a man with a rifle started firing on passing vehicles. It seemed like a bad nightmare when the gunman, Michael Charles Hayes, walked to the centerline of the darkened road in front of his parents’ moped shop and opened fire in a mass shooting, killing four and wounding five others.
About 8:20 p.m., a passing motorist and his wife were confronted by the man, who had thrown a rock at their vehicle. The man appeared mentally unwell, and the couple quickly drove away for safety. After contacting Davidson County deputies, they were directed to file a report with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department. The couple later stated that they decided to wait until the morning to pursue the matter.
The shootings started just before midnight, sometime between 11:15 p.m. and 11:25 p.m. The first call to police was made at 11:25 p.m. A neighbor said that a man, in his early twenties was walking in the street with a firearm. He was yelling at cars and seemed disturbed. The caller had been stopped by the man and threatened with a gun if he came back.
The Winston-Salem Police Department received that call at 11:25 p.m. and, approximately six to seven minutes later, completed the transfer of the call to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department. As the WSPD dispatcher was processing the first call, the dispatcher reportedly received a call from the gunman’s stepfather, who said his stepson had been shooting at cars.
By that time, the gunman had been firing his 22-caliber semiautomatic rifle at vehicles as they passed the moped shop and approached the intersection, and slowed for the stop sign ahead.
Three Forsyth County deputies were dispatched around 11:30 p.m. because of a report of shots fired. It took several more minutes before dispatchers and others confirmed that people had been killed or injured. By then, the deputies had arrived on the scene, blocking roads, and had even been fired upon by the gunman.
After the 3rd victim was killed by Hayes, a sheriff’s deputy asked his supervisor if he had permission to take him down. His supervisor replied that he should wait until he arrived shortly after Hayes killed the fourth victim. Finally, the mass killing was put to an end when deputies returned fire on Hayes, striking him in his groin, leg, and back. But Hayes somehow survived.
What made Hayes snap on that summer night?
According to various online reports, Hayes began exhibiting unstable behavior in the weeks leading up to the shootings. “He later explained his actions by claiming that he believed the passerby were demons that needed to be killed.” Stating, “I thought they were demons, I recognized them because they had red, sunken eyes, and they had a sulfuric stench about them, like they had come up from the pits of hell.”
Hayes’ trial began in late March 1989 and resulted in a verdict of “Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity.” He was committed to the Dorothea Dix State Hospital in Raleigh. He was later given a drug that treats schizophrenia and reduces aggression towards others. Sometime during 1989, Hayes had reportedly gone off the medication for his mental illness, and since then, has not been on medication, which has been met with scrutiny.
On March 1, 2012, Michael Charles Hayes walked free. Some reports have indicated that he was married and even fathered children during his time at the Dorothea Dix State Hospital. His release has been met with protests from the victim’s families.
Written By John G. Clark Jr.