Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say the gun recovered from an officer-involved shooting that left one man injured over the weekend is actually a fake. CMPD said Monday that the gun is a replica blank-firing pistol designed to look, sound and operate just like a real gun, but isn’t.
Police say Bobby Morgan, 29, is still in the hospital after he was shot by officers during a Dec. 1 standoff at a residence on Winfield Drive, off Independence Boulevard near Albemarle Road. His injuries do not appear to be life-threatening, CMPD says.
Authorities say officers were called to the home Saturday morning by Morgan, who said he had a gun and was upset with neighbors. In a call to 911, Morgan said there was a disturbance in his neighborhood involving two women. He told police the women were threatening him and that he was armed.
“I have a gun on me,” Morgan told the operator. “I will not hit a female, but I will do something else to protect myself.”
Another caller, who has not been named, called police an hour after the initial call for service was placed, telling them that Morgan has a mental illness and isn’t armed.
“He has no access to a gun,” the caller said. “He can’t buy a gun. He has not been shooting off. He’s been having problems with neighbors on both sides.”
CMPD says when officers got to the home, they heard shots being fired inside. Morgan then barricaded himself inside the home and SWAT was called to the scene, police say.
According to CMPD, officers observed Morgan through a window of the home and saw he was armed. When Morgan exited the house, police say, he refused to drop his weapon after officers ordered him several times to do so.
The department says the officers fired their weapons after they “perceived an imminent, deadly threat.”
CMPD Chief Kerr Putney said in a news conference following the shooting that Morgan was shot more than once, but could not specify how many times.
Morgan was given medical attention on the scene before being transported to a local hospital. CMPD initially signed two warrants charging him with communicating threats. Those charges will be reviewed by the District Attorney’s office to determine if they are appropriate.
CMPD says four officers were called to the scene. The three officers who fired their weapons in the incident have been identified as Joshua Skipper, Derek Rud and Edward Gonzalez. Skipper and Rud have been with CMPD since 2005. Gonzalez has been with the department since 2003.
All three officers who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative leave, following standard department procedure. CMPD and its Internal Affairs Bureau are conducting separate investigations into whether department policies and procedures were adhered to during the incident.
