NC officers kill man setting cars ablaze near police station

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Officers shot and killed a man Saturday afternoon who was throwing Molotov cocktails and setting cars on fire near a police station in Raleigh, North Carolina, authorities said.

The confrontation began after an officer observed a man lighting vehicles on fire in a parking lot near a district station at around 1:20 p.m., Police Chief Estella Patterson said at a news conference.

The officer called for assistance, and three other officers came to help, she said, and the officers ordered the man to stop. Patterson said the man continued to throw Molotov cocktails, ultimately tossing them near the officers.

“Multiple officers then discharged their weapons, and the individual was struck multiple times,” Patterson said.

Police then moved the man away from two vehicles that had become engulfed in flames and attempted life-saving efforts, Patterson said. He was taken to a hospital but died.

Body cameras were active, as well as cameras outside the police station that captured events, Patterson said. She added that firefighters arrived quickly and put out the vehicle fires.

She said an investigation is ongoing and more details of the shooting would be released in a report in coming days. The FBI was notified in keeping with department policy, Patterson added, noting the investigation’s findings will be submitted to the Wake County district attorney.