CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The family of the man who was shot and killed by a Pineville police officer outside a Food Lion after he allegedly stole groceries from the store spoke publicly for the first time on Monday.
Dennis Bodden, 46, was killed after the alleged shoplifting last month. It happened at the Food Lion on Johnston Road on May 15. Bodden's family is now calling for a full investigation into the incident.
The family and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP held a news conference Monday morning at the CMPD headquarters in Uptown.
During the conference, Bodden's family said that he might still be alive if he had the right support for his battle with mental health issues.
Bodden's mother, Cleopatra, said the biochemistry and law graduate was suffering from "Bipolar schizophrenia" when he was caught shoplifting from a Pineville Food Lion.
"They demonize my son like he was a common criminal and he was not," Cleopatra said. “They call me and they offer prayers and the Holy Spirit. I’m a Christian. I believe in Jesus Christ and I believe in the Holy Spirit, but where was the Holy Spirit and their humanity when they shot my son down like a dog.”
Pineville Police said Bodden ran from an off-duty officer with stolen groceries. He reportedly ran across the street into Charlotte city limits. Detectives say Bodden was hit with a stun gun and shot when he reached for the sergeant's gun during a struggle. Pineville police say he had a lengthy criminal history and had shown violent tendencies toward officers and the public.
One neighbor who recognized Bodden claimed he attempted to break into her apartment. The woman also noted he had severe mental health issues. Corine Mack, the president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP, questions the police response to the incident and believes more could have been done to prevent the tragedy.
"If in fact, and it looks as if that's the case, there were some mental health issues, where was the Pineville police mental health crisis team?" Mack asked. "It's sad that a shoplifting would end in the loss of life."
Contact Destiny Richards at drichards5@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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