Man shot by off-duty Durham police officer wanted officer to kill him, report says
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An off-duty Durham police officer shot a 27-year-old man in the stomach after the man charged on him as he investigated the sound of gunshots and a man lying in a breezeway, according to a report released Thursday.
Officer C.T. Strickland encountered Wesley Watkins around 5 p.m. May 1 at Emerald Forest Apartments, where the officer lives and is a courtesy officer, according to a preliminary report from Durham Police Chief C.J. Davis to City Manager Tom Bonfield.
Strickland found a man with a gunshot wound lying on the second-story breezeway, with Watkins standing beside him, the report said.
Watkins entered an apartment, but returned to the breezeway.
The officer saw a second man standing in the breezeway. Strickland pulled his gun and ordered both men to come downstairs and lie on the ground.
“Both individuals initially complied with the officer’s commands,” the report said. “However, Watkins then suddenly stood up and began to charge at Officer Strickland.”
Strickland shot twice, striking Watkins at least once, the report said.
The man lying in the breezeway, Daniel Pressley, was declared dead at the scene. Watkins was taken to the hospital, where he remains, according to the report.
“In the days following the incident, Watkins confessed to shooting Mr. Pressley and indicated that he had recognized Strickland as being a police officer and had wanted the officer to kill him,” the report states. “Watkins has been charged with murder.”
Strickland, who had just returned to the apartment complex after leaving work as a recruiting officer for the Durham Police Department, wasn’t wearing a body camera.
He was wearing a uniform that included a polo shirt with the Durham Police Department patch embroidered on front, cargo-style pants and badge affixed to his belt.
The investigation has found Pressley and Watkins both lived in the apartment that Watkins walked into. Several firearms were seized from Watkins’ bedroom.
“Mr. Pressley and Watkins had been heard arguing over money, immediately prior to the sound of gunshots,” the report states.
The State Bureau of Investigation is conducting a criminal investigation into the shooting, at the Police Department’s request. The department is also investigating whether Strickland followed its policies and procedures. Both are standard procedures after an officer is involved in a shooting.
Strickland will remain on administrative duties until the investigations are completed.
This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 9:55 AM.
