“I HAD TO FIRE DURING THE ARREST STRUGGLE”!!! BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AUTHORITIES SAY FORMER GREENSBORO POLICE OFFICER HAYDEN HUGHES SHOT A MAN DURING A CALL AND HAS NOW BEEN CRIMINALLY CHARGED WITH A SERIOUS FELONY.
A former Greensboro police officer has been criminally charged in connection with a shooting that left a suspect seriously injured.
The defendant has been identified as 31-year-old Hayden Hughes.
Hughes is charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.
On Dec. 23, 2025, Greensboro police officers responded to Van Allen Circle.
The officers were dispatched to the location for a reported mental health crisis.
Police said officers on the scene developed probable cause to arrest a man for breaking and entering.
But the man allegedly refused to comply with the officers.
A physical struggle followed.
During that struggle, Hughes shot the man.
The gunfire left the suspect seriously injured.
Hughes had only been sworn in as a Greensboro officer in September 2024.
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Following the December incident, Hughes was placed on administrative duty while the shooting was investigated.
A criminal investigation was conducted into the shooting.
After the criminal investigation concluded, Greensboro police conducted a separate internal review.
That internal review determined his use of deadly force violated department policy.
Hughes was terminated last month.
Greensboro Police Chief Kamran Afzal said the employment decision was separate from the criminal case, which was ultimately handled by the Guilford County District Attorney’s Office.
The department also plans to ask a judge for permission to publicly release relevant body-camera footage.
Following the incident, the department reviewed how officers carry their Tasers.
The agency has since changed policy to require Tasers to be carried on the non-dominant side, separate from an officer’s firearm.
Yet police said weapon positioning is not currently believed to have caused this shooting.
Hughes now faces a felony charge months after the call.
Body-camera footage may become the next major piece of this case.
The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
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