Memorial grows for man killed by CMPD officer as community calls for justice

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A memorial is growing at the north Charlotte site where a man was shot and killed by a CMPD officer on Friday.

Police say the officer perceived an “imminent deadly threat” when Curtis Massey produced a gun as he ran from police. The officer opened fire, killing Massey. A witness tells WCCB that Massey did have a gun in his waistband, but never touched it, and that officers shot him in the back of the head after he tripped and fell as he ran away from them.  Witness Shannon Haines says “The gun never left his side. (He) never touched it. Not one time. The gun didn’t leave his side. He didn’t touch the gun. He actually tripped and fell and rolled down the hill.”

Friend Paulette Gibson says, “He was a family man. He was a friend. He was real kind and generous. It wasn’t nothing that he wouldn’t do for you and it wasn’t nothing that he wouldn’t give.”

The State Bureau of Investigation is the lead investigating agency in this case. The officer involved has been placed on paid administrative leave per standard protocol.