UPDATE: The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department identified the man who was shot and killed by a CMPD officer as Iaroslav Mosiiuk, 25.
The officer was identified as Brian Walsh, who was hired by CMPD in April 2002 and is currently assigned to the Metro Division.
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A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer shot and killed a man who was said to be holding a rifle Wednesday afternoon – the city’s third officer-involved shooting in six months.
CMPD did not immediately release the man’s name or the name of the officer who shot him. Both were Caucasian, the department said in a statement.
The incident began just before 1 p.m. when CMPD got a call about a person who was threatening suicide in the 1000 block of Justice Avenue, just off Statesville Road. When officers arrived they encountered a man holding a rifle, the department said in a statement sent to news outlets.
“The officer perceived an imminent threat and fired his service weapon,” CMPD spokeswoman Jessica Wallin said in the statement.
The man was pronounced dead at Carolinas Medical Center.
The shooting happened outside a small, red-brick bungalow near Druid Hills Park. WSOC-TV reported that neighbors said the dead man was Russian.
The officer involved was placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure while CMPD determines whether the officer followed all department policies and procedures.
Wednesday’s shooting marked the second time that a CMPD officer has used deadly force since Keith Lamont Scott was shot and killed by a CMPD officer on Sept. 20, 2016.
Scott, 43, who was holding a handgun, was shot by officer Brentley Vinson after Scott stepped out of an SUV in the parking lot of his apartment building. Police video showed that CMPD officers called out several times for Scott the drop the weapon. The killing sparked two nights of sometimes-violent protests in Charlotte. Vinson was cleared of wrongdoing following an investigation.
On January 26, a CMPD officer shot and killed 28-year-old Javier Diez, who moments earlier had sideswiped a car driven by an undercover office. The officer, who was never publicly identified because of his undercover work, told investigators he fired after Diez got out of his car with a gun. Some people who said they saw the shooting disputed that claim, alleging that Diez got out to apologize after sideswiping the car. CMPD investigators said they found a bullet hole in the officer’s car.
The Charlotte Observer contributed to this report.
