News Roundup

Published for NC Criminal Law on March 13, 2020.

On Tuesday, an officer-involved shooting in Raleigh set off protests in the city that were fueled in part by social media postings in the immediate hours after the event.  A Raleigh police officer shot Javier Torres after responding to a 911 call reporting that a man was displaying a gun at a local strip mall.  Soon after the shooting, rumors posted on Facebook motivated protests in downtown Raleigh, at the police chief’s home, and at the governor’s mansion.  Keep reading for more on this story and other news. Torres Shooting.  As WUNC reports, around 6:40pm on Tuesday, a person called 911 to report that a man was walking back and forth between a gas station and an Italian restaurant in southeast Raleigh flashing a gun on his waist.  Police camera footage shows that officers responding to the call encountered Javier Torres, who appeared to have a gun in his waistband, and a foot chase ensued.  An officer involved in the chase shot Torres as Torres rounded the corner of a building while running towards the officer, seemingly holding the gun in his hand.  Torres survived a single gunshot wound to his abdomen, and Raleigh police reported finding a gun near where Torres fell after being shot.  He was later charged with going armed to the terror of the people, RDO, and a firearm serial number offense. Soon after the incident, rumors began circulating on Facebook that the shooting involved a black, unarmed teen who was shot in the back after stealing [...]