GRAPHIC: CMPD Releases Footage of Officer Shooting Michael Kelley
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released body camera footage today from the Jan. 16 shooting of Michael Kelley by CMPD officer Timothy Kiefer in west Charlotte. The video shows Kelley running at Keifer and a K-9 unit before Keifer shoots multiple times. Kelley can be seen dropping something after he’s shot. Police say Kelley was holding a knife when he charged at Keifer.
At the time of the incident, Kiefer and other CMPD officers were looking for a man who matched Kelley’s description as a suspect in two armed robberies that occurred nearby. At 1:40 p.m. that afternoon, a man matching Kelley’s description walked into Clanton Presbyterian Church on Freeland Lane and demanded money. When the victim declined, the suspect cut the victim and stole his car keys. The suspect then drove away in the victim’s Infiniti. A short time later, the same suspect robbed a Family Dollar store on West Tyvola Road. Employees told officers told police the suspect drove off in an Infiniti.
At around 2:40 p.m., a patrol officer spotted the stolen Infiniti in a shopping center on West Boulevard. Kiefer responded to that parking lot, which is where he confronted Kelley.
Kelley’s family has said that Kelley suffered from drug addiction, which they believe drove him to commit the crimes that led up to the shooting.
On March 26, the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s office ruled that Kiefer did face an imminent threat and did not seek any charges in the case. The full synopsis of that decision can be found here.
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