Hundreds protest after North Carolina police shooting
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A police shooting that wounded a suspect during a foot chase in Raleigh, North Carolina, sparked protests early Wednesday from hundreds who demanded answers and burned a flag outside the governor’s mansion.
Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown said officers responded to a 911 call Tuesday evening reporting a man with a gun near a shopping center in eastern Raleigh. She said arriving officers spotted a person matching the caller’s description, later identified as 26-year-old Javier Torres.
Torres ran and was chased by officers who repeatedly ordered him to stop and drop the gun, Deck-Brown said. Torres was shot in the abdomen by an officer who had joined the chase, the chief said, adding that the suspect was running directly toward that officer and would not drop his gun. The extent of Torres’ injuries was not immediately known.
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said in an email Wednesday that Torres remained in hospital care but could not elaborate on his condition.
A handgun, as described by the 911 caller, was located at the scene of the shooting, police said. No officers were injured.
Deck-Brown said the officer who fired the shot was wearing a body camera, as were others at the scene. At her direction, the department asked a judge to release the footage, and the judge approved their request. Police spokespeople did not immediately respond to an email asking how the video would be released.