Police: Man shot to death by North Carolina officers

Associated Press

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017 | 7:01 p.m.

DURHAM, N.C. — A man being sought for violating conditions of pre-trial release was shot and killed by officers after he pulled a gun while they pursued him on foot, a North Carolina police chief said Wednesday.

Durham Police Chief C.J. Davis read a statement saying three officers were attempting to arrest the man at a house. As they approached, the man ran out and the short chase ensued, she said.

According to Davis, the man pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at the officers, who fired at him. The chief said the officers performed CPR on the suspect, but he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Davis didn't identify the suspect but said a gun that had been reported stolen last December was found next to him.

An order for arrest was issued Wednesday based on the man having violated his pre-trial release conditions. Davis said the man was awaiting trial on charges of robbery with a dangerous weapon and felony conspiracy. She said the charges were filed in August 2016 and the order for arrest had a preset bond of $500,000.

Davis said the man also was facing an indictment for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The chief said the three officers are on paid administrative leave, which is standard operating procedure in a shooting where officers are involved.

The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation is also looking into the shooting, and Davis said her department will complete a five-day report on the incident.

It's the second shooting by law enforcement in Durham in the past three days. On Sunday, a North Carolina Highway Patrol trooper shot a 31-year-old man to death during what officials described as an "armed confrontation" after a traffic stop.

Last November, Durham police shot and killed a 34-year-old man in a public housing complex. A preliminary report said Frank Nathaniel Clark of Durham reached for his waistband while being questioned by two of the officers, and a struggle followed. One officer fell to the ground and a second one shot Clark, who died at the scene.