The white officer who shot and killed Cedric Pritchard during a traffic stop has been placed on administrative leave pending a state investigation of his death.
The North Carolina police officer shot Pritchard who stepped out of his vehicle with a gun during a traffic stop, authorities said Monday.
The shooting happened Sunday afternoon, Stacy Drakeford, director of Washington, NC.’s police and fire services, said in a statement.
“It is with great sadness that we are investigating an officer-involved shooting in our City,” Drakeford said in a statement. “Today, a citizen of our community has lost his life, a family is grieving for their family member, and our law enforcement agency is saddened by these events. We ask that the community joins us as our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this tragic incident.”
There has been no explanation if Pritchard exited the vehicle waving the gun and when asked about the body cam footage or dash cam footage, Drakeford stated that evidence had been turned over to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
If the events happened as suggested, it seems that the logical steps would be to show the footage to ease the public’s fears of another Black man shot and killed by police.
Pastor Marcus Miller of New Birth Christian Center, acting as a spokesman on the behalf of the grieving family, said Cedric Pritchard’s family is considering legal options but waiting for the pending State Bureau of Investigation report before deciding next steps.
Although the community is outraged, it has remained peaceful.
