Man shot, killed by police after threatening officers with spear, Hudson police say

HUDSON, N.C. — The district attorney announced Tuesday that an officer-involved shooting Friday in Hudson was justified.

A man was shot and killed by police after calling officers to his Caldwell County home and threatening them, according to the Hudson Police Department.

The district attorney said that he reviewed the officers’ body camera video and the SBI investigation and found no criminal conduct by the officers.

Police officers said they responded to a home on Eastview Street near Highway 321 in Hudson around 5:30 a.m. on Friday after receiving calls about a sexual assault at the location.

James Preston Trexler Jr., 44, was identified by police as the caller. When officers arrived, Trexler was outside with a spear.

Based on previous responses to the home, officers said they learned the reports of sexual assault were not accurate, but were worried for the people inside the home. With that understanding, police said they tried to get Trexler to drop the weapon.

Channel 9′s Dave Faherty learned last week that Trexler lived in a garage behind his parent’s home.

In their efforts to deescalate the situation, officers said they made two unsuccessful attempts to use nonlethal options to disarm Trexler.

Police said Trexler threw a trash can at officers and made a lunging movement toward them with a spear that was interpreted as an imminent threat.

An officer shot at Trexler and he died as a result of his wounds, police said.

“Once there, they encountered a subject. He was noncompliant with their commands and ultimately put them in a situation where they had to use deadly force,” Richard Blevins, chief of Hudson police, told Channel 9 last week.

The chief said it was not a physical altercation that led to to the use of deadly force. He confirmed the shooting did not happened inside the home.

Chopper 9 Skyzoom flew over the home just before noon, where investigators could be seen collecting evidence.

Hudson police named the two officers who were involved in the shooting: Officer Nicholas Hudson and Officer Taylor Welborn, both were hired by the department in 2018. Neither officer was hurt.

James Trexler served in the military, his father, Jim Trexler, said.

“His situation was created by his time in the Iraq War,” the father said. “He was a combat medic and paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne. When he came back, he had PTSD and struggled with his mental health and was diagnosed as being bipolar.”

Neighbor David Hubbard told Faherty that he knows the family and the man who was fatally shot.

“He was a good kid, a good person,” he said.

Other neighbors said they are thinking about the family and the officers involved.

“We have an excellent police force here, so we all feel very safe,” Brad Ward said.

Hudson police said the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case, per policy. Blevins also said the officers have body cameras that will be included in the investigation.

“Any loss of life is regrettable and our thoughts are with family during this time,” the police department said in a news release.

Officials said the officers involved are on paid administrative while the SBI investigates.

Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.

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