CHARLOTTE, N.C. — WCNC Charlotte continues to follow a developing story about a woman who the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said exchanged gunfire with officers in south Charlotte while carrying out an involuntary commitment order.
It happened at a home at Saint Croix Lane on Friday, Aug. 19, west of Providence Road.
Officers said they were trying to bring the woman to a mental health facility when she started shooting at them, and an officer fired back. The woman was hit, and she has been fighting for her life in the hospital. The officer, who was also hit, was wearing a vest and was not harmed.
CMPD has a team of officers who work with people facing mental illness. But sometimes when police are called into the picture, encounters with people who struggle can go terribly wrong.
According to CMPD, the Community Policing Crisis Response Team was on hand when the gunfire rang out.
“A team of officers paired with licensed mental health clinicians that respond to calls of service to assist folks in crisis,” CMPD Lieutenant Joan Gallant said.
Lt. Gallant is part of the Community Wellness Division, which the team falls under. While she wouldn’t talk specifically about the shooting Tuesday afternoon, she offered more information about the Crisis Response Team.
It started in April 2019 in an effort to provide a humane and compassionate law enforcement response to crises, namely involving community members with behavioral or substance abuse issues.
“Aimed at truly de-escalating a scenario at hand so we can get to the root of any challenges,” Gallant said.
Those challenges include tackling mental health issues in hopes of changing their approach to interactions with people who struggle.
“We all want to be able to raise our families in safe communities and that’s what our officers want,” Gallant said.
As is standard procedure, all three officers involved in the shooting are on administrative leave while the investigation takes place.
WCNC Charlotte will continue to follow up on the woman’s condition as she remains in the hospital.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.