MOORESVILLE, N.C. — An armed man was shot and killed by Mooresville Police Department officers outside Lake Norman Regional Medical Center early Wednesday, detectives confirmed.
Mooresville police received a call about a man arriving at the hospital a little before 4 a.m. and threatening to harm himself. Hospital security said the 56-year-old man put a gun in his pocket before he walked out to the parking lot.
Mooresville officers arrived at the hospital and found the man in the parking lot. Officers said the man, whom WCNC Charlotte is not identifying, was holding a gun. Officers said they issued multiple commands to him to drop his weapon.
Mooresville officers said Wednesday that while the man initially complied with their commands, he then picked the gun back up. Identifying a possible threat to their safety, the police department said one of their officers
The man succumbed to his injuries.
Mooresville Police Department Chief Ron Campurciani said he has reviewed body camera video of the shooting.
"I think we did what we could do and he had, whether he dropped it, it looked like he dropped it, he rearmed himself," Campurciani said to reporters later Wednesday. "I don't want to be callous but we're under a lot of things. What we don't have is a crystal ball. We're all husbands and wives, and we have to go home, too. What he was doing, why he rearmed himself, what he was doing with the gun, we don't know. But if we wait, we get hurt."
Campurciani said officers receive de-escalation training but he believes there needs to be more resources for mental health to avoid situations like this in the future.
“I think personally, that the mental health professionals should understand that it's not an 8 to 5 job, Monday through Friday," Campurciani said. "They need to be out there the same hours we are to give people who are suffering the help they need."
If you or a loved one are facing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, there is help readily available. You can call Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat with them online. There are also resources in North Carolina available here and in South Carolina available here.
WCNC Charlotte's Lexi Wilson spoke to the man's sister over the phone. She said the family is shocked by the death of their loved one. She said there have been several deaths in the family recently and that may have played a role in his mental health.
The Mooresville Police Department hasn't identified the officer who shot and killed the man.
As is routine after a shooting involving a police officer, the officer is on administrative leave pending an investigation to determine whether department protocol was followed. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is conducting an independent investigation alongside MPD's administrative investigation.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.