Roll of Honor
Incident
Lieutenant Glenn Hicks was shot and killed as he and his partner responded to a 911 call about a disturbance created by a mentally disturbed subject at 3:10 pm.
The subject heard the call on his police scanner and setup an ambush from inside his house. As the two deputies got out of their patrol car, the subject ambushed them with a shotgun. The man first shot Lieutenant Hicks' partner in the face with bird shot. As Lieutenant Hicks came to his partner's aid he was shot in the face with .00 buckshot and killed instantly. His partner attempted to make it back to the patrol car, but was shot again in the back with .00 buckshot. He was able to crawl to the patrol car and called for assistance.
The subject fled to a nearby cave and remained there for several hours during negotiations. Nearly 400 local, state, and federal officers from across western North Carolina rushed to the scene. When negotiations failed, two flash-bang devices were detonated, which caused the suspect to surrender. Several weeks prior, all of the subject's guns were confiscated due to a complaint from his family about his mental stability. The guns were returned several days before the shooting by court order because the family refused to testify against him.
On July 22nd, 2005, the subject was found incompetent to stand trial. In November 2013 he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a state hospital.
Lieutenant Hicks had been a reserve deputy for the Avery County Sheriff's Office for five years and had served as a full-time deputy for three years. Lieutenant Hicks' badge number was retired in his honor.
He is survived by his wife, son, sister, two brothers, and three grandchildren. Lieutenant Hicks's son and a brother also serve with the Avery County Sheriff's Office. His grandson later joined the McDowell County Sheriff's Office.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, son, sister, two brothers, and three grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-F5CE7D52- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Lieutenant Hicks gave the Avery County Sheriff's Office 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Newland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Hicks.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Lieutenant Glenn Harold Hicks is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 3.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Avery County Sheriff's Office, 5 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Glenn Harold Hicks's cause is highlighted.
How Glenn Harold Hicks Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Glenn Harold Hicks is highlighted in Feb.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Avery County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
