LUMBERTON, N.C. (AP) — Gov. Pat McCrory says a state trooper shot and killed a man during a confrontation amid flood waters in hard-hit Lumberton.
McCrory said Tuesday that Sergeant J.F. Hinson, a 13-year veteran, and two deputies encountered the man while going through three to four feet of water in a Humvee around 8 p.m. Monday near the intersection of Hilton and West Fifth Streets in Lumberton.
Officials say the man became hostile towards officers and displayed a handgun. That’s when officials say Hinson fired his weapon, killing the man.
Hinson has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation which is standard operating procedure.
McCrory says he has few details about what led to the shooting only saying it happened in “very difficult circumstances.”
The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting.
The identity of the victim will not be confirmed by the SBI until an autopsy can be conducted. The identities of the law enforcement officers will be provided after each have been interviewed, according to the SBI.
