Law officers from a four-county area were involved in 13 shootings since January 2023.
The data includes officers in Catawba, Iredell, Caldwell and Alexander counties. Four of the shootings happened in Catawba County between May and July of 2024.
The increase in officer-involved shootings is plain to see, but the reasons are less clear, Catawba County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Aaron Turk said.
Turk has been in law enforcement for 26 years. He said the frequency of these shootings is out of the ordinary.
“Nationwide, there seems to be more of these occurrences,†Turk said. “I sure would like to have the answers to why. We look at data. We research things, but I don’t have the answer as to why it’s happening with more frequency.â€
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Eight of the 13 shootings were fatal. There were 11 officer-involved shootings in 2024. In 2023, there were no officer-involved shootings in Catawba County.
All 13 shootings were deemed justified by district attorneys Scott Reilly and Sarah Kirkman.
An N.C. State Bureau of Investigation agent picks up evidence markers at the scene of an officer-involved shooting that killed Jamar Robinson in Newton on May 28.
What happens after an officer-involved shooting?
District Attorney Scott Reilly, who handles cases in Catawba, Burke and Caldwell counties, said he is called directly when an officer takes part in a shooting. Reilly’s office and the head of the law enforcement agency involved immediately request an investigation by the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation.
“The sheriff’s office, (or the law enforcement agency involved in a shooting) is not going to investigate themselves,†Reilly said. “That’s why we ask the SBI. They’re independent and they do a very thorough investigation.â€
Reilly said the request to SBI is made quickly because time is important in these cases to preserve evidence.
“A lot of times, (officer-involved shootings) happen late at night or early morning,†Reilly said. “We want them (SBI) to get out there, process the crime scene, interview witnesses, collect video from body cameras or Ring cameras that have captured the incident.â€
Catawba County Sheriff Office’s Aaron Turk said along with calling SBI, the officers or deputies involved in the case are placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation. The sheriff’s office also does a review to ensure that their policies and procedures are followed, Turk said.
After an officer-involved shooting, the sheriff’s office provides support for officers and their families.
“As you might imagine, this is a very emotional and traumatic thing that an officer would have to deal with,†Turk said. “And unfortunately, this year our officers have had to deal with. We offer employee assistance, counseling and any other help that we can or that they would ask for as they deal with the after-action aspects of these things.â€
Reilly’s office is briefed roughly three times by the SBI during the investigation. The first time is within hours of any shooting where an officer is involved. The second time is an update on the status of the investigation. That usually occurs less than two weeks after the shooting.
The third time is when the SBI presents findings to Reilly’s office for review, he said.
“(The final briefing) would include all witness interviews, the processed crime scene, and all relevant video footage, such as body cams from the officers involved, as well as any other videos or footage that captured the incident,†Reilly said.
An N.C. State Bureau of Investigation agent carries equipment to where Pierre Ramseur was shot by Catawba County Sheriff's Office deputies on July 22. Another investigator also walks to the scene.
Reilly said he looks at the circumstances that led up to an officer-involved shooting starting from the 911 call to determine if the officers reasonably believed people were in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury.
“Our analysis is not a review,†Reilly said. “It is solely to determine whether or not the shooting was justified at the split-second that the shots were fired or that the deadly force was used.†Reilly said his review is not meant to critique whether a different tactic could have been used.
Reilly said he tries to review officer-involved shootings as quickly as possible because there are typically multiple people impacted. He said the officers deserve to be notified of a decision as soon as possible because they are on leave until a decision is made.
Turk said use of force training begins in Basic Law Enforcement Training. Basic Law Enforcement Training is a class that potential law officers take on the path to becoming employed. Turk said officers are taught about the laws concerning use of force and use of deadly force.
“There’s also other blocks of instruction that offer training in de-escalation, how to deal with victims in the public and how to approach, both tactically and from a human nature perspective, circumstances that have a heightened stress level,†Turk said.
Once out of field training, officers get more training at the sheriff’s office and elsewhere that covers strategies, tactics and guns. Officers receive additional training in de-escalation and ways to work in high-stress encounters to avoid the use of deadly force, Turk said.
“In the cases that I review, I’ve been very impressed with our law enforcement officers’ bravery, their professionalism and their training,†Reilly said. “I have the luxury of looking at a situation and watching body camera footage, sometimes five to 10 times in slow motion, trying to determine what happened. I always just found it amazing that these officers were able to make those split-second decisions in real time and generally make the right decision.â€
