Updated: Thursday at 12:20 p.m.
A man was shot and killed by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Wednesday afternoon in west Charlotte. CMPD says the victim, Michael Daniel Kelley, matched the description of a suspect from two armed robberies earlier that afternoon.
In one case, police say a man with a box cutter tried to get money from someone at a church then stole that person’s car. Police believe the same man robbed a Family Dollar store off Tyvola Road.
CMPD says K9 officer Timothy Kiefer spotted the stolen car in a shopping center on West Boulevard and encountered Kelley, 32.
According to a statement by the department, Kiefer shot Kelley after the suspect ran toward him and ignored commands. The statement also says that investigators recovered a knife at the scene.
Kelley was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. Police say Kiefer was not injured.
CMPD says Kiefer, a 12-year veteran of the department, has been placed on paid administrative leave while Internal Affairs investigates the shooting, following standard department policy.
This is a developing story.