Cornelius teen charged with attempted murder of officer

The 16-year-old Cornelius resident charged with shooting a police officer remained in custody Sunday at the Mecklenburg County Jail, with six charges pending against him – including attempted first-degree murder.

Greyson Auguste-Russell Ferrell was arrested after an altercation in the 19000 block of Coachman’s Trace Drive in Cornelius on Saturday. Cornelius police Lt. James Quattlebaum was shot during the incident but was expected to recover.

Besides the attempted murder charge, Ferrell was charged with two felonies: assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, and assault with a deadly weapon on a government official.

He also was charged with three misdemeanors: possession of a handgun by a minor, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana up to half an ounce.

Quattlebaum was taken Saturday to Carolinas Medical Center. Betsy Shores of the Cornelius Police Department confirmed Sunday afternoon that he was still there but was in good condition, and he was expected to recover fully.

Quattlebaum, the Saturday morning shift commander for the area, and other officers responded to a domestic disturbance call at the home on Coachman’s Trace, near Washam-Potts Road. The shooting happened about 11:40 a.m.

When officers came under fire, they shot back and reportedly hit Ferrell, who was wearing a bulletproof vest and was not seriously injured, police said. Quattlebaum was hit in the stomach.

Because the suspect was shot by Cornelius officers, Cornelius police asked the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to take over the investigation into the shooting.

Matthew Aron, who said he was a friend of Ferrell’s, said the teen had recently dropped out of Hough High, where he was a junior, and had begun taking classes at Central Piedmont Community College.

This story was originally published May 3, 2015 at 1:48 PM with the headline "Cornelius teen charged with attempted murder of officer."