Suspect killed in shooting involving Stanly Co. deputy, Highway Patrol

STANLY CO., N.C. (WBTV) - Law enforcement shot and killed a 22-year-old is dead in Stanly County early Thursday morning. The NC State Highway Patrol identified the deceased as Ghassan Radwan Baba of Albemarle, NC and say Baba opened fire on law enforcement prompting the fatal shooting.

The Stanly County Sheriff’s Office told WBTV it happened around 1:45 a.m. on Highway 73 near Lowell Road.

A deputy and trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol were responding to a crash involving a car into a ditch when they saw a man a few hundred yards away.

[Read also Woman dies after officer-involved shooting in south Charlotte]

Law enforcement said he had a gun and refused their commands to stop. He then allegedly turned around and started to shoot at the deputy and trooper.

“The trooper and deputy attempted to take the suspect into custody, at which point the suspect fled on foot from the crash scene and fired multiple gunshots at law enforcement personnel. Responding officers returned fire and the suspect was struck. Authorities secured the suspect and began life-saving procedures until emergency personnel arrived. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical responders. The involved trooper and deputy were not injured,” according to a press release from the State Highway Patrol.

The SHP confirmed the name of the deceased and the trooper involved in incident.

“Authorities have identified Ghassan Radwan Baba, 22, of Albemarle, NC, as the deceased in the shooting. Trooper Micheal R. McCormick is identified as the involved State Highway Patrol member and is a 4-year veteran stationed in Troop E, District 2 (Stanly County),” according to the press release.

“In accordance with agency protocol in any trooper-involved shooting, Trooper McCormick has been placed on administrative duty pending an internal investigation and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has been asked to conduct an independent investigation.”

A neighbor told WBTV today that he heard so many shots he thought it was fireworks going off.

“It was like fireworks, it was like bang bang bang bang bang and then another burst like that,” said Gary Krause. “I kind of hopped up then to look out the window but then all I seen was the police cars up front here.”

Neither the trooper or deputy involved were injured in the incident.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is investigating.

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