What Led Up To West Charlotte Officer Involved Shooting

CHARLOTTE, NC. — WCCB has learned what led up an officer involved shooting that left one man dead. The officer is okay.

This investigation has three crime scenes. Police say it started with two robberies in South Charlotte, and ended with a shooting in West Charlotte.

Commotion at a shopping center off West Boulevard and Remount Road where police say a CMPD K9 officer fired shots at a robbery suspect. Investigators say they found a knife at the scene.

“At some point this aspect created an eminent threat to the officer who fired his weapon strike in the suspect,” says CMPD Chief Kerr Putney.

Chief Putney says officers were searching for a suspect who went inside a church on Freehand Lane and asked for money around 1pm Wednesday. When they didn’t give it to him, police say the suspect pulled out a box cutter and cut the victim and took his car keys before stealing the victim’s Infiniti. Not long after, the suspect robbed the Family Dollar on West Tyvola and left the Infiniti. Store employees believe the suspect had a gun.

“The vehicle description was given out, some of our officers in this area saw the vehicle matching that description and the suspect who matched the description of the suspect involved in the robberies.”

Police say the K9 officer found a man who fit the description of the suspect involved in the earlier robberies. The officer confronted that suspect.

A witness tells WCCB that’s when he saw the robbery suspect run behind a dumpster in this parking lot. He says the officer yelled at the suspect to show himself.

“The guy came out with his hand behind his back, so the officer told him three times to stop, take your hand out from behind your back, take your hand out from behind your back. The guy just started walking toward him,” says witness Ron Straite.

Multiple witnesses tell WCCB they heard the CMPD officer shoot his gun at least three times. Police say the suspect was taken to the Atrium Health where he died not long after.

CMPD hasn’t released the name of the officer or deceased man pending the notification of both families.

The officer will be placed on paid Administrative Leave, which is standard policy whenever an officer discharges their weapon. The Internal Affairs Bureau will conduct a separate but parallel investigation to determine whether CMPD policies and procedures were adhered to during the incident.