CMPD Identifies Man Fatally Shot By Police, Releases 911 Calls

Updated: 4:45 p.m.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have identified the man who was fatally shot by an officer outside of a Burger King off Beatties Ford Road Monday morning.

Police say officers encountered Danquirs Napoleon Franklin, 27, while responding to multiple 911 calls about an armed man inside of the fast food restaurant. CMPD says Franklin was armed and officers told him repeatedly to drop his gun.

According to CMPD, Officer Wende Kerl "perceived a lethal threat" and fired her weapon, hitting Franklin. Franklin was transported to the hospital where he later died.

Alex Olgin / WFAE

/

WFAE

A group gathered outside the Burger King and began criticizing police, saying that Franklin was not armed. But CMPD Chief Kerr Putney said Franklin did have a gun and that the firearm was found on the scene after the encounter.

CMPD has also released two 911 calls placed before the shooting. In one of the recordings, a caller said Franklin "walked behind the counter [in Burger King] and frightened an employee."

"He got a gun, he got a gun," the caller told the dispatcher. "He has a gun he's pointing at employees."

According to the recording, the second caller was in the drive through line and saw Franklin running out of the Burger King.

"Somebody ran up to my car and looked like he was pulling out a gun," the caller said. "I drove off."

CMPD says officers were en route to the scene immediately following the two calls.

Kerl, the officer who shot Franklin, has been with the department since 1995. Per department protocol, she has been placed on paid administrative leave while CMPD and Internal Affairs investigate the shooting.

Updated: 3:30 p.m.

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer shot and killed a man Monday morning at a Burger King in west Charlotte. Police say the man had gun.

CMPD Chief Kerr Putney said officers responded to multiple 911 calls at about 9 a.m. When officers arrived at the Burger King off Beatties Ford Road, Putney said officers encountered a man in the parking lot holding a gun, and that officers repeatedly ordered him to drop it.

"We have a gun that has been located on scene he was armed during the encounter," Putney said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Dp1kGVo3g

CMPD says one of the officers "perceived a lethal threat" and fired his weapon, hitting the man. The man was rushed to the hospital where he later died.

Protesters gathered outside of the Burger King a few hours after the shooting. Some were yelling at journalists on the scene, others were criticizing CMPD. Some of the protesters said the man was not armed during the shooting.

Preciouz Robinson was among the group of protesters. She said she witnessed the shooting.

Robinson said she was in her car in the Burger King parking lot about to get breakfast when she saw an altercation between multiple people. She said when she saw one person with a weapon and quickly drove across Beatties Ford Road and parked at the McDonalds. She said she and a group of about 30 bystanders watched the police give commands to drop a weapon and fire their weapons.

"We was in shock," Robinson said. "Oh my goodness did they really just do this in front of us."

She said she was not interviewed by CMPD, and now doesn't want to be.

"No I don't want to talk to them," Robinson said. "Because y'all didn't try to talk to us when y'all killed this man right in front of us so why should I talk to y'all now. No I don't have nothing to say to them."

CMPD tweeted Monday afternoon that "misinformation is being reported" about the fatal incident. The department maintains that the man was armed at the time of the shooting.

Following department policy, the officer who shot the man is being placed on paid administrative leave while CMPD and Internal Affairs investigate.

Copyright 2019 WFAE