A 21-year-old North Carolina man, who kidnapped kids from a daycare center, was shot and killed by police officers on Wednesday after police said the suspect ran over an officer with his car; footage of the scene was caught on a neighbor's doorbell camera.
The video shows police officers running after the suspect before he got into a car and reversed into one of the officers. The footage displays about 20 seconds of the incident, which happened Wednesday afternoon.
Gastonia Police Department was responding to a home on N. Edgemont Avenue for a reported kidnapping around 12:45 p.m. According to the officers, they got a call that two children had been taken by a man who was not supposed to have them. Rick Goodale, the GPD spokesperson, said officers arrived at the home and found the two children safe and unharmed inside.
Officers also located the suspect with the help of a vehicle description; the said man was spotted near the house. Goodale said they had "some sort of encounter" on the street. "During the course of the investigation, the suspect was operating a vehicle and struck one of our officers," Goodale continued.
Gastonia Police have identified the suspect as Jason Lipscomb. Police said Lipscomb hit an officer with his vehicle. Following his action, responding officers fired their guns. Several shots are heard in the video as the car backs into an officer. The car continues on the street before fatally crashing into parked vehicles nearby.
Lipscomb reportedly died from his injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Meanwhile, the police officer struck by the car sustained injuries and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital; he is expected to recover.
As part of the standard procedure for all officer-involved shootings, the State Bureau of Investigation will investigate the incident, together with Gastonia Police Department's internal affairs. The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave. "The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is responding and will take over the investigation of the officer-involved shooting," Goodale added. Police also said they are not looking for any additional suspects related to the shooting.