Deadly 2023 officer-involved shooting near uptown Charlotte justified: DA
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A deadly officer-involved shooting that took place last year near uptown Charlotte has been deemed justified, District Attorney Spencer Merriweather and the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday.
Officers responded to calls regarding a man shooting a gun in the air near Frazier Avenue at around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.
One of the officers arriving at the scene was Officer Braylin Brown, who approached the suspect, later identified as Nickolas Lopez, and gave commands to put the gun down.
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The investigation stated that the 44-year-old had a bag on him and he had reached into the bag and the officer perceived a deadly threat and fired his service weapon three times, killing Lopez.
The loaded gun Lopex possessed was recovered at the scene, CMPD said.
The DA’s Office stated that following the external NCSBI investigation, interviews, reviewing body cam, and an autopsy report, the officer was deemed justified in the deadly shooting.
No available evidence in this case would enable the state to prove to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer Brown did not act in defense of himself or others.
The video from Officer Brown’s body-worn camera, as well as his statement and the physical evidence on scene, corroborate that Officer Brown was reasonable in his belief that the decedent posed an imminent threat of great bodily harm or death to Officer Brown and the public when he fired his weapon, killing the decedent.
Accordingly, the state will not pursue criminal charges related to the death of Nickolas Demar Lopez.
Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office
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