CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has identified an armed man who was fatally shot by police near a Walmart early Friday evening. Police said the suspect threatened store security and pointed a gun at officers.
CMPD arrived at the scene around 6:30 p.m., later telling WCNC Charlotte in a news release that the incident started at the store along Albemarle Road around 5:50 p.m. Police said 33-year-old Derrell Lamar Reney was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries where he later died.
In a follow-up tweet, CMPD said the man reportedly threatened a Walmart security guard with a gun before pointing it at police. The firearm was recovered at the scene.
The officers involved in the incident were identified by CMPD as James Longworth and Micah Edmunds.
According to CMPD, Officer Longworth was hired by the CMPD on June 18, 2018, and Officer Edmunds was hired by the CMPD on June 27, 2016. They have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, according to police. Neither officer was injured during the shooting.
What Happened?
During a news conference on scene Friday, police chief Johnny Jennings provided more context to what happened.
According to Jennings, the security guard approached two CMPD officers to tell them of the threat. Officers found the subject in the parking lot, who Jennings said threatened the officers and pointed a gun at the pair. Both officers fired their own service weapons, striking the subject.
“When officers encountered the subject, he pointed a firearm at the officers,” Chief Johnny Jennings said. “They did shoot and injured the individual.”
Chief Jennings said officers didn’t have time to use de-escalation techniques.
“And we say all the time, it takes two to de-escalate so we have to be able to talk to that individual and communicate with that individual,” Chief Jennings said. “When you’re met with a firearm being pointed at you, there’s just absolutely no time to do that.”
Marian Clanton and her granddaughter often shop at the Walmart.
“When I pulled up and saw all the lights, I asked my granddaughter, I said, ‘I wonder what’s going on?’ And she said, ‘What? Where?’ And I said, ‘Look at all the police lights,’” Clinton said. “Never could imagine something this bad could happen.”
Both officers were taken to a hospital for further evaluation. Jennings confirmed the pair were also wearing body cameras.
As of writing, the identity of the subject has not been released, nor have further details about the officers been shared. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation will be taking over the investigation.
Contact Brandon Golder at bgoldner@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.