A police officer in the Gaston County town of Ranlo was charged with first-degree murder after a domestic dispute while he was off-duty led to a stabbing and a shooting, town officials said.
Police were called to Burlington Avenue, a mostly residential street, at 2:15 a.m. on Jan. 1. They said that Officer Kwaku Riley Agyapon had been "involved in a domestic dispute." He had been stabbed multiple times and fired his service weapon, killing the stabbing suspect.
Since the investigation involved a police officer, Ranlo authorities called in the Gaston County Police and requested help from the State Bureau of Investigations. Agyapon was charged with murder and placed on unpaid administrative leave. Police said he was under observation at CaroMont Health and will be taken to jail when he is released from the hospital.
Police have not identified the shooting victim.