CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Newly released bodycam video shows the moments that led up to CMPD officers fatally shooting an armed man as he was walking on the sidewalk while carrying groceries that had reportedly been stolen from a Charlotte Food Lion.
The deadly encounter happened shortly before 1:00 p.m. Sunday, June 26, 2022, on Tuckaseegee Road.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers responded to the area for the reports of a man stealing groceries from a nearby Food Lion.
Editor’s Note: Below is edited footage released from CMPD; viewer discretion is advised.
Kevin Boston, 46, was shot six times by two CMPD officers, Officer Erik Torres, and Officer Richard Meyer, during the Sunday afternoon encounter, records showed.
New bodycam footage shows officers approaching Boston as he is carrying groceries along the sidewalk. He is then seen dropping the grocery bags and pulling out a firearm.
Boston is seen on camera pointing the firearm at a CMPD officer before the officer is observed quickly retreating and begins giving commands to ‘drop the firearm.’
CMPD officers are then seen moving to positions of cover as Boston then picks up his grocery bags and begins walking again down the sidewalk. CMPD said, at this time, Boston was still holding the firearm in his right hand.
CMPD officers are observed in the released bodycam footage continuing to give commands to Boston to drop the firearm from their positions of cover behind CMPD patrol vehicles.
Boston is seen in the bodycam video refusing to drop anything in his hands and continues walking down the sidewalk away from CMPD officers.
CMPD said, in a released video on Tuesday, that Boston was observed pointing the weapon several times at officers while walking on the sidewalk before multiple shots are fired by police.
Editor’s Note: Below is edited footage released from CMPD; viewer discretion is advised.
“During the encounter, officers perceived an imminent, lethal threat and fired their weapons. The subject was struck by the gunfire and fell to the ground. The subject also discharged several rounds towards the officers, striking the patrol vehicles,” CMPD said in a released video.
The new bodycam video shows, once Boston fell to the ground, he began firing his weapon as he lay on the sidewalk towards the CMPD patrol vehicles.
Following the shooting, bodycam video shows multiple CMPD officers approach Boston as he is observed lying on the sidewalk, bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds.
“When the gunfire stopped, officers were unable to safely approach the subject for several minutes due to the fact that officers could not see his hands or where the firearm was located,” CMPD said in a released video.
Boston is seen in the released video being handcuffed on the ground before officers access his injuries. Medic eventually transferred Boston to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The firearm, a .357 revolver used by Boston in this incident, was recovered at the scene, CMPD said. The firearm contained six spent shell casings when recovered, authorities said.
According to a report released from the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office, when asked why the CMPD officer “felt compelled to shoot,” Officer Torres said Boston “posed an immediate threat to the public, multiple houses, and both himself and Officer Meyer.”
Officer Torres said, “he shot more than once because the immediate threat had not stopped, and the decedent was still shooting at him.”
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. In February 2023, the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office announced no criminal charges would be filed against the CMPD officers involved in this deadly incident.
