Police officer who shot a suspect is arrested at Charlotte airport, SBI says

A man who serves as a police officer in the Harnett County town of Coats was arrested at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, according to the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation.

Ricardo Sylvester Anderson, 50, was taken into custody around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday “in connection with an officer-involved shooting that occurred on November,” officials said in a May 20 news release.

The SBI did not release details of why Anderson was at the airport, which is a 175-mile drive west from Coats.

“The November shooting involved Officer Anderson and Michael Ricardo Talamentes at a Speedway convenience store located at 338 North McKinley Street in Coats,” the SBI says.

“According to the preliminary investigation, Anderson shot Talamentes after attempting to take him into custody. Talamentes was transported to WakeMed in Raleigh for medical treatment.”

Anderson was indicted Monday by a Harnett County Grand Jury on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, investigators say.

He was taken to the Harnett County Detention Center and bond was set at $25,000 bond.

“The SBI launched this investigation at the request of the Coats Police Chief. As in all cases, the SBI’s role is to conduct an independent and thorough investigation and present its findings to the district attorney’s office for review,” the SBI said.

“Because this is an active case, no additional details will be released at this time.”

Coats is about a 45-mile drive south from downtown Raleigh.

This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 6:04 AM with the headline "Police officer who shot a suspect is arrested at Charlotte airport, SBI says."