‘Suicidal’ Man Armed With Knife Shot By Charlotte Cop: CMPD

CHARLOTTE, NC -- A Charlotte Police officer responding to a 911 call for help for a man who was attempting suicide is on leave and his actions under internal investigation after he shot and killed the man armed with a knife Friday afternoon in west Charlotte.

The incident occurred shortly after 1 p.m. at Lake Ridge Apartments in the 3200 block of Timberbrook Drive off Tuskaseegee Road, when Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, Charlotte Fire Department and medic responded to the scene of the suicide attempt, according to a CMPD report.

“The caller stated that a male was suicidal and was harming himself,” CMPD said. Officers found Charlie Shoupe, 27, armed with a knife and was uncooperative to first responders attempting to provide medical care.

Charlotte Fire members on the scene said that Shoupe “said he wanted police to shoot him,” the report said.

When CMPD Officer Daniel Flynn arrived at the scene, Shoupe charged at him with the knife in his hand. Shoupe did not comply with Flynn’s commands to drop the weapon and continued to charge at the officer who was trying to put distance between them, the CMPD report said. When he closed that distance, Flynn fired his service weapon, striking Shoupe.

Paramedics on the scene transported Shoupe to Carolinas Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.

Witnesses to the incident told a Fox 46 reporter on the scene that the white male subject ran at CMPD officers with the knife while screaming, “shoot me.”

Flynn has been placed on administrative leave while the Internal Affairs Bureau investigates whether CMPD policies were followed. This is standard procedure during any officer involved shooting, the department said.

“This is a criminal investigation, and we’re doing a parallel internal investigation to make sure no policies were violated,” CMPD Chief Kerr Putney told reporters at a Friday afternoon news conference, The Charlotte Observer reported.

CMPD asks that anyone with information about this incident contact Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

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