The Salisbury man allegedly pointed a gun at the officers during an attempted arrest.
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Kannapolis investigators identified a Salisbury man who was shot and killed by officers during a traffic stop earlier this month, alleging the man pulled a handgun during an attempted arrest.
A Kannapolis Police officer patrolled North Cannon Boulevard around 10 p.m. on Jan. 4 when he recognized a GMC Yukon normally driven by someone he knew had an outstanding warrant for their arrest. The officer pulled over the Yukon and while talking to the driver, recognized the passenger in the front seat as Edgar Maddison Welch, who had an outstanding warrant for felony probation violation.
When the officer attempted to open the passenger door to arrest Welch, investigators claimed that Welch pulled a handgun from his jacket and pointed it at the officer. That officer, and a second officer who arrived to assist with the traffic stop, commanded Welch to drop the weapon. He allegedly refused, leading to both officers shooting him.
Welch was taken to Atrium Health-Cabarrus for treatment and later transferred to a Charlotte hospital, where he died from his injuries on Jan. 6. The driver of the GMC and three officers involved in the traffic stop were not hurt.
Kannapolis police identified the officers as Brooks Jones and Caleb Tate. The third officer didn’t fire his weapon, according to police. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is still looking into the incident to determine all protocols were followed by the officers.
