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DA rules Hickory man's shooting death at hands of officers was lawful

HICKORY, N.C. — Police officers’ use of deadly force in a shooting earlier this year was lawful, the Catawba County district attorney announced Thursday.

[READ MORE: Man dead, officer shot in arm while executing search warrant in Hickory]

William Whetstone, 33, was shot and killed Feb. 3 at a home on 12th Street Drive NW in Hickory by officers from the Hickory Police Department.

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(Whetstone)

Whetstone was shot as officers from the department’s Special Operations Team were serving a high-risk search warrant at the home pertaining to a drug investigation.

[IMAGES: Man dead, officer shot in arm at Hickory home]

District Attorney David Learner said that after reviewing evidence from the SBI investigation, including photos, witness interviews and body camera footage, the following facts were apparent:

  • Whetstone was involved in the sale of narcotics in the days before the incident and was the target of an ongoing investigation.
  • As a result of the narcotics sales, Hickory officers obtained a search warrant for Whetstone's home.
  • Because officers knew that Whetstone had firearms in the house, the search warrant was served by the Hickory Police Department Special Operations Team.
  • When they entered the home during daylight hours, the officers clearly and loudly identified themselves as police officers with a search warrant.
  • Another suspect in the home immediately complied with commands to get on the floor.
  • Whetstone was told repeatedly not to move, but he lunged to the arm of the sofa and rammed his right hand between the cushion and the arm of the sofa.
  • Officers repeatedly, loudly and clearly directed Whetstone not to move.
  • Whetstone pulled a handgun out of the sofa and pointed it directly at officers, who were only a few feet away.
  • Officers immediately fired their weapons, striking Whetstone multiple times.
  • The entire sequence of events unfolded in just a few seconds.

“The law of North Carolina recognizes the principle of self-defense, which is the inherent right to use deadly force to protect oneself or others from death or great bodily harm,” Learner said in a statement. “Therefore, based upon applicable law and the facts as reported by eyewitness accounts, corroborated by the body camera footage and other physical evidence, it is my conclusion that the Hickory officers acted lawfully when shooting Mr. Whetstone on February 3, 2017.”

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