MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. — A man is being treated for life-threatening injuries and two officers were treated for non-life-threatening injuries after a police shooting Friday afternoon, Mount Holly Police confirmed. It happened after police say the man hit officers with a car.
Around 3:30 p.m. Friday, first responders received a 911 call about a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of a Mount Holly apartment complex. When officers arrived, they found and tried to make contact with the driver.
Mount Holly Police Chief Don Roper said officers had talked to the driver, but then the driver shifted the car in reverse and hit two officers, before shifting into drive and reportedly heading in the direction of other officers.
A resident of the area, who did not want to be identified, told WCNC Charlotte the driver had his car running the entire time while officers tried to speak to him.
"At some point, he put the car in reverse and just drove back very very quickly, and then he floored it," the resident said.
Police took that action as a deadly force and discharged their weapons.
Paramedics responded to the scene and took the driver to the hospital to be treated for life-threatening injuries.
Two officers were injured in the incident. Both were treated and released for non-life-threatening injuries. At this time, it's not clear if the officers who fired their weapons were the same officers that were hit by the car.
The names of the suspect and officers involved are not being released at this time, but Chief Roper confirmed the involved officers were placed on administrative duty, which is standard.
The State Bureau of Investigation is conducting an independent investigation into the incident, and the Gaston County Attorney will do an independent review as well.
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