North Carolina Cop Shoots and Kills Black Passenger at Traffic Stop

A white police officer in North Carolina shot and killed a black passenger after a physical struggle, according to NBC News.

A Winston-Salem Police Department news release details that officer D.E. McGuire stopped a car with two men and a woman inside at about 10:30 p.m. Friday (March 30th). One of the men was 60-year-old Edward Van McCrae, who the officer says was making suspicious movements in the back seat. McGuire allegedly told McCrae to stop reaching around, but he continued despite the warning.

“After being removed from the vehicle, Mr. McCrae physically struggled with Officer McGuire and refused multiple verbal commands by Officer McGuire to ‘stop reaching,’” the news release said. “As the struggle continued, a handgun became visible to Officer McGuire.” The release goes on to say that McGuire shot and killed McCrae when he refused to stop reaching for the gun. Backup officers and an ambulance arrived within seconds of the shooting and attempted to resuscitate McCrae. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The State Bureau of Investigation will investigate the shooting (and analyze the body camera footage McCrae was wearing) to make a determination. The resulting police report categorizes the encounter as an assault on an officer with a firearm. McGuire, in the mean time, will be on administrative duty while the investigation is underway.