Officers fire at suspect after man held at gunpoint in Gaston County

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - Gaston County police officers fired at a man after he held another person at gunpoint on Sunday afternoon, officials confirmed.

According to the Gaston County Police Department, the shooting happened on Stoney Oaks Drive, just off of Lewis Road near Freedom Mill Road, and not far from Chapel Grove Elementary School.

Officers responded to the area around 4:30 p.m. after a caller said his father was being held at gunpoint by a man who had left his vehicle on private property hours earlier.

Once at the scene, officers searched for the man, who was later identified as Matthew Curtis Buford.

Police say that during the search for Buford, which included the use of a K-9 to sniff him out, he began firing shots at the officers, which prompted officers to return fire.

Buford was hit in the head by a bullet, bringing an end to the shooting.

Police found that Buford was in possession of three guns at the time of the shooting, and owns an extensive criminal history, including prior gun and drug charges.

He is being charged with four counts of attempted murder, one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon, one count of second-degree kidnapping, one count of assault by pointing a gun, one count of assault on a law enforcement K9, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Police received a call from the same location two times before the shooting incident, once at 11:30 a.m. when Buford’s vehicle was left on the property, and again around 3:30 p.m. when the caller reportedly saw something suspicious near the area where the vehicle was.

Three officers who were involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave.

The State Bureau of Investigation was called in to investigate the incident.

Related: 1 hurt, 2 arrested after officer-involved shooting at Concord Mills

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