Sheriff: Man Killed In Stanly County Officer-Involved Shooting

STANLY, N.C. — The Stanly County Sheriff’s Office says one person has died after an officer-involved shooting.

Authorities say around 1:45 a.m. on Thursday, a North Carolina Highway Patrol trooper responded to a car in a ditch on Highway 73 near Lowell Road. When the trooper arrived, the driver of the vehicle was outside the vehicle standing in the road. The trooper called for assistance from the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office.

The trooper and deputy at the scene realized the man was armed with a firearm and gave verbal commands according to officials. Stanly County Sheriff Jeff Crisco says the driver refused and fired shots towards the depupty and trooper. Law enforcement returned fire striking the driver. The man was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Authorities have identified the deceased as 22-year-old Ghassan Radwan Baba of Albemarle.

The deputy and the trooper were not injured.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol office identified the trooper involved as Trooper Michael McCormick. The deputy has not been named at this time. We are told the deputy and trooper are both on paid administrative leave.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations is handling the investigation.

We will update this story as more details are released.