Officer cleared in shooting of man with BB gun in Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Authorities in North Carolina say a police officer acted lawfully when he shot a man who was fleeing on foot with a BB gun.

The Raleigh News & Observer reports that Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman released her findings on Thursday.

A Raleigh police officer had shot Keith Collins six times on Jan. 30. Police said a 911 caller had reported a man with a gun outside a Big Lots store.

Freeman said state law allows officers to use deadly force against what they consider imminent harm, and that being forced to make split-second decisions factors into what is reasonable.

“Based on all the evidence available, it is the conclusion of the district attorney that Officer (W.P.) Tapscott reasonably believed that his life was endangered when he shot Mr. Collins and that therefore the use of force was lawful,” Freeman wrote.

Meanwhile, a protest is planned Friday evening at the Wake County Courthouse in regards to the police shooting Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisc. A curfew has been issued for Raleigh.

Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said the decision to issue a curfew was made Wednesday before city officials knew about the report that cleared the police officer in the Collins shooting. The mayor said the city is not expecting anything other than a peaceful protest.