Body camera video released after man who stabbed officer shot, killed by police

CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has released body camera video showing when a man stabbed an officer in the head and was then shot and killed by one of the officers.

Police got a domestic violence call on Aug. 20 for The Penrose apartments in South End. When they arrived, police heard gunshots and screaming in an apartment and forced their way inside.

CMPD said when officers got inside, they heard the screaming coming from a bedroom. They rushed in and found a man with a gun in his hands. Officers told the man to drop the weapon multiple times. Then, one officer moves toward the suspect who then lunges at the officer and tackles him with a knife in his hand. The second officer moves in to help and is stabbed in the head. Then, a gunshot goes off and the scuffle stops.

Police said the hurt officer was Officer Shawn McMichael and the officer who fired his gun was Officer Tyler Bourque.

McMichael and the victim involved in the domestic disturbance call were taken to the hospital. McMichael returned from the hospital that night and the woman, who the suspect shot in the arm, was expected to make a recovery. It’s still not clear what the relationship was between her and the suspect.

What the video shows

The body camera video was released Thursday in 68 different clips. They show dozens of angles of the police response, but two specific ones show the encounter where things escalate.

>> Watch the video released by CMPD here. Viewer discretion is advised.

On the third floor of The Penrose, Officer Bourque tried knocking on the door but nobody answers. Moments later, he hears gunshots.

“That’s a gunshot!” he yells.

Officer McMichael arrives and kicks down the apartment door. Both officers move in, finding the door barricaded. They go to a bedroom, where you can hear a woman screaming for help. Then, there’s chaos.

“Help me! Please don’t shoot him!” the woman says.

“Put it down! Put it down! Put it down!” Bourque yells.

Bourque moves around a dresser and the suspect lunges at him. Then the camera falls, so you can’t see much more.

McMichael’s body camera video shows another vantage point. Seeing that Bourque was tackled by the suspect with a knife in his hand, McMichael moves in to help. McMichael is stabbed in the head and seconds later, you can hear a gunshot.

Police say, and body camera video confirms, the suspect had a gun in his hand when officers rushed into the bedroom. After he was shot, you can hear the victim tell officers about the man’s mental state.

“He’s paranoid and he’s delusional,” she says.

The suspect died from his injuries.

Later, Bourque picks up his body camera and you can see two knives on the ground. McMichael could be seen getting treatment for his wound in the hallway shortly after. CMPD said he’s currently recovering and needed multiple staples for the gash.

Bourque is on administrative leave at the State Bureau of Investigation looks into the case. McMichael is back at work.

At the time, CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings noted how domestic violence calls are some of the most dangerous calls to respond to, and that officers did what they had to do that day.

In a statement Thursday, Jennings said he was proud of his officers for using their training in a dangerous situation.

“Police officers are never able to predict the circumstances that they are about to encounter. This case highlights the dangers they face and how quickly a threat can present itself,” his statement reads.

Read Jennings’ full statement below:

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