CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Friday, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney announced the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation will be leading the investigation rather than CMPD, at the request of Easter’s family.
Harold Easter died after being arrested last week. His family is now calling for an independent investigation into the case. Easter was taken into custody for possession of drugs. During that encounter, he suffered a medical emergency and was taken to the hospital where he later died.
Chief Putney says the decision for an independent investigation is not about the work his detectives do. Instead, it’s about what a family wants after losing a loved one.
“Anytime there's a loss of life, it's a big deal,” Chief Putney said.
Chief Putney heard and responded to the wishes of Harold Easter’s family. He died in police custody earlier this month, after officers arrested him for a suspected drug transaction.
“We did make contact with the family to give them preference, talk about their preference, and give deference to them about who leads this investigation, they chose to have this independently investigated,” Chief Putney said.
The SBI will now be investigating the case. It comes after Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather announced a new policy last year. The police made it so that all officer involved shootings would be independently investigated, but Easter’s case falls into a different category, since it did not involve use of force. Still, District Attorney Merriweather says the independent investigation is important for public trust and confidence.
“If there are certain procedural things we can do differently to make sure that confidence is established and that trust is maintained we intend to do it,” said District Attorney Merriweather.
Officers say they found cocaine and marijuana on Easter. When he was taken to the police department, he had a medical emergency and was taken to the hospital where he later died.
"He was a genuine person, he looked out for his community, “ said Easter’s sister. “Not only his community, but pretty much everybody."
The five officers involved are now on paid administrative leave, which is standard protocol. Both the chief and district attorney say the decision for an independent investigation is not a reflection on the CMPD.
“There has never been a question in my mind about the competency and the ability of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department to conduct these investigation,” said District Attorney Merriweather.
“This is no indictment on the work of our detectives, our detectives work on investigations is second to none,” said Chief Putney.
CMPD will conduct an internal investigation once the criminal investigation is completed.