On duty CMPD officer hits, kills man in uptown Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - The man who was struck and killed by an on duty police officer in uptown Charlotte Saturday morning has been identified.

According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, three marked police Charlotte-Mecklenburg police cruisers were responding to a crash around 3:20 a.m. where a vehicle had struck a building in the 800 block of East Stonewall Street.

As the three CMPD patrol vehicles were heading to the scene, one of the CMPD drivers struck 28-year-old James Michael Short who was crossing the road at Morehead Street near the intersection of Euclid Avenue.

MEDIC pronounced Short dead on the scene.

Police say initial evidence shows that the officers had their lights and sirens on.

The officer who struck Short has been identified as Phillip Barker. Barker has been employed with CMPD since January 2016, police said. Baker was taken to Presbyterian Hospital with minor injuries.

The road reopened after being shut down for several hours following the crash.

If you witnessed the wreck, you're asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

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