CORNELIUS, N.C. (AP) - A 16-year-old boy ambushed and shot a police officer responding to a domestic disturbance call in a suburban Charlotte neighborhood, officials said Monday.
Cornelius Police Chief Bence Hoyle wouldn’t go into details but said at a news conference that an officer who fired on the teen likely saved the life of wounded Lt. James Quattlebaum and the officer giving him first aid Saturday.
“I’ve never been prouder a day in my life of working with anybody,” Hoyle said. “Had he not returned fire and shot the suspect, Lt. Quattlebaum or Christine O’Neil, who was providing medical assistance, could have been shot again.”
Greyson Ferrell has been charged as an adult with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, possession of marijuana and other charges. It wasn’t known whether he has a lawyer. The police chief said Ferrell, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was not seriously injured.
Cornelius Mayor Chuck Travis said Quattlebaum was being released from the hospital Monday. Travis said the officer was shot at close range but was wearing protective equipment.
“As you know, he was wearing a vest, thank God. But it was penetrated by the shot,” he said.
The police chief wouldn’t talk about why the teen shot the officer. But The Charlotte Observer reported (https://bit.ly/1AAmF67 ) that Ferrell had posted several anti-police updates on Facebook, including saying he would “rather hear every day about an unarmed cop getting shot by a criminal then armed cops killing innocent people.”
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police are investigating the shooting.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.