Man shot by Raleigh police near Glenwood Avenue dies, chief says
A man shot multiple times by a Raleigh police officer Thursday afternoon has died, Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown said.
The shooting happened just after 3 p.m. on the sidewalk near Piney Grove AME Church, on the 3800 block of Pleasant Valley Road. The church is less than a mile east of Glenwood Avenue in the northern part of Raleigh.
A police officer was responding to a call about a man with a gun who was acting “strangely” near Pleasant Valley Promenade shopping center on Glenwood Avenue, Deck-Brown said at press conference Thursday night.
When the officer approached the man, identified as Keith Dutree Collins, he ran away. She said Collins “produced a weapon” during the pursuit, prompting the officer to fire at Collins. Collins was struck multiple times, Deck-Brown said.
He was taken to the hospital where he died of his injuries, Deck-Brown said.
Police have not identified the officer. The officer has been placed on administrative leave, she said, which is standard procedure.
The department also is petitioning for the release of the body camera footage worn by the officer. The State Bureau of Investigation will launch a criminal investigation into the shooting.
The results of the investigation will be presented to Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman.
911 call
A 911 caller said she and another person were in a parking lot outside Big Lots on Glenwood Avenue when they saw Collins near a trash can. Collins dropped a gun, picked it up and then put it in the front of his pants when he saw the caller looking at him, according to the caller.
The caller said she drove by Collins’ location to better identify him. She told 911 operator that he was carrying a large handgun, but that he wasn’t carrying it “responsibly.”
“He is not someone that has had an educational conceal-carry class,” the caller said.
The caller told the 911 operator that she thought police might want to come to the shopping center before anyone was harmed.
Witness accounts
Mark Kelly, a resident on Pleasant Valley Road, reported hearing five shots followed by a pause, the sound of people yelling, then five more shots.
“I thought it was construction work before I turned on the news,” he said.
Damain Jay lives in an apartment that overlooked the crime scene. He heard three shots, a pause and then three more. Then a car revved its engine and sped away.
“I thought it was on TV, but it was real life, bro,” he said.
This is the second police-related shooting this year.
On Jan. 4, police shot at 18-year-old Najae Davonte Riley on Creech Road, allegedly after he tried to break into a car and pointed a gun at its owner. A follow-up report said the suspect “extended both hands together as if he was holding a firearm,” but the officer’s four shots did not hit him.
In December, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman cleared another Raleigh officer for shooting Hugo Cortes-Ramirez in the leg, saying he “acted in self-defense.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 3:54 PM.