UPDATE (8/26/2026) - Officer-Involved Shooting – Van Allen Circle

Hayden Hughes, 31, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury.

Following completion of the criminal investigation, the Greensboro Police Department conducted a separate administrative investigation into Hughes' actions and his compliance with departmental policy. That investigation determined that Hughes' use of deadly force violated departmental policy.

The Department's administrative investigation and employment decision were separate from the criminal charging determination, which rests with the Guilford County District Attorney's Office.

"Accountability and transparency have to be demonstrated through our actions, not simply talked about," Greensboro Police Chief Kamran Afzal said Wednesday. "We have a responsibility to each other and to our community to perform our duties in a manner consistent with our training, our policies, and the law. When our own administrative review determines that those standards have not been met, we have a responsibility to act."

Chief Afzal also announced that he will petition the court for authorization to publicly release relevant body-worn camera footage from the shooting at the appropriate time.

When the Department has a timeline for that process, those details will be promptly shared with the community.

"We also recognize that our officers routinely encounter situations that are volatile, unpredictable, and capable of escalating in seconds," Chief Afzal said. "Accountability does not prevent us from learning. As an organization, we will continue examining this incident, our policies, and our training to determine where we can improve."

As part of that review, the Department previously examined the positioning of an officer's Taser Energy Weapon (TEW). Although the positioning of the TEW is not believed to have been a factor in this shooting, the review resulted in a policy change requiring officers to carry the TEW on the non-dominant side of the body, separated from the officer's firearm, to reduce the potential for weapon confusion. The change has since been incorporated into the Department's publicly available directives.

Documents related to the pending criminal case should be available through Guilford County eCourts. Questions regarding the criminal prosecution should be directed to the Guilford County District Attorney's Office.

BACKGROUND (Here are 2 prior news releases issued about this case):

UPDATE - GREENSBORO, NC (January 5, 2025) - A Greensboro man was released from a local hospital today after being injured last month during a struggle with police, when an officer discharged their weapon.

This remains an active investigation.

GREENSBORO, NC (December 24, 2025) - One man was hospitalized late Tuesday night after an officer-involved shooting in the 3200 block of Van Allen Circle.

Guilford Metro 911 received a call at approximately 10:02 p.m. regarding a person experiencing a mental crisis, causing a disorder. Police arrived on scene and made contact with all involved parties. During their investigation, officers developed probable cause to place an individual under arrest for breaking and entering. When informed he was under arrest, the individual refused to comply with lawful commands and a struggle ensued.

During the struggle, an officer discharged their firearm, striking the individual. Officers immediately began rendering aid, and requested EMS to transport the individual to a local hospital for treatment.

This is an active investigation. Further details are not immediately available for public release.