Republished December 01, 2017 - 4:17 PM
Original Publication Date December 01, 2017 - 7:36 AM
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. - Authorities say a police officer fatally shot a suspect in the parking lot of a Walmart in North Carolina.
Hendersonville Police Chief Herbert Blake said in a news release that an officer who responded to an undercover drug purchase around 11 p.m. Thursday shot a man when he tried to escape and appeared to be reaching for a weapon in his waistband.
Blake said officers provided first aid until medics took him to a hospital, where he died. Blake said the officer wasn't hurt.
The officer was identified as Det. Brandon McGaha, a 12-year veteran who's on paid administrative leave. Officials identified the suspect as 32-year-old Rufus Cedric Baker of Buncombe County.
The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation has taken over investigation of the case.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017