News

'Oh my God. My husband's trying to shoot me,' estranged wife tells 911

Paul Bryan Killian

By Bill Moss, Published: December 18, 2017

“Oh my God, my husband’s trying to shoot me,” a woman being chased on N.C. 280 on Friday said to an emergency dispatcher. “I’m on Airport Road, he’s rammed my car, he’s following my car. Please. Oh God, oh my God.”
Dispatcher: “Is he following you?”
Woman: “He’s chasing me.”

The Henderson County sheriff's office on Monday released the 911 tapes containing the pleas from a terrified driver trying to get away from her estranged husband, who she and witnesses said had rammed her car and fired multiple shots at her. At least five other witnesses called 911 and reported the incident that resulted in the arrest early Saturday of 59-year-old Paul Bryan Killian after a standoff with law officers. Killian, of 765 Glenn Bridge Road in Arden, is charged with felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and firing into an occupied vehicle. Killian was released from the Henderson County jail Monday after posting a $200,000 secured bond.

The first call came in at 2:27 p.m. Friday from a person who told a dispatcher: “Our client is being chased by her husband who’s shooting at her and they’re heading down towards the airport. He’s chasing her in the vehicle. … She was in here doing business and once she left, he pulled up right behind her. He shot at her five times.”
Several other witnesses also described Killian's black 1995 Nissan pickup ramming the silver Mercedes SLS, a sporty high-performance model.
“He jumped out and fired about three shots at her,” said a motorist who called at 2:28 p.m. “He’s headed toward the airport. He just went through the red light and is going around the corner toward the Ag Center.” Asked if he got a tag number, the caller said, “He got away from me. He’s driving real fast.”

The estranged wife continued to drive west on N.C. 280 with Killian on her tail.
“He shot at me. He’s been ramming my car with his truck.”
The dispatcher warns her to keep driving: “If you stop, you’re in danger. I need you to keep moving" and avoid taking I-26. "It will be easier for me to get somebody to you if you just stay on Airport Road. But don’t stop.”
She and Killian separated Nov. 20, the woman told the dispatcher.

When the pickup was out of sight, the dispatcher directed her to pull into the McDonald’s parking lot to wait for law officers.
“I don’t know where he is. Oh my God,” she says, distraught.
“All right," the dispatcher says. "We’re getting somebody to you. Just take a deep breath."
A moment later, she says she sees Killian again. “He’s on that road going towards Cracker Barrel. Where’s the police officer?”
“They’re coming,” the dispatcher said.