Police identify North Carolina officer involved in shooting

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Authorities in North Carolina have identified the Raleigh police officer who shot and wounded a man on Tuesday.

The Raleigh News & Observer reported Friday that the officer is J.E. Byrd. He’s been with the department for seven-and-a-half years.

Byrd is assigned to field operations. He has been placed on administrative leave as the State Bureau of Investigation conducts and investigation.

The shooting had sparked protests from hundreds who demanded answers and burned a flag outside the governor’s mansion.

Firearms-related charges were later filed against the man who was shot, 26-year-old Javier Torres. Body camera footage released Wednesday afternoon shows him running toward an officer during a foot chase with a black object that police identified as a gun.

Torres ran and was chased by officers who repeatedly ordered him to stop and drop the gun, Deck-Brown said. Torres was shot in the abdomen by an officer who had joined the chase, the chief said, adding that the suspect was running directly toward that officer and would not drop his gun.