Man killed in police shootout was a suspect in west Charlotte murder, officials say
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Aug. 12, 2022, to include the name of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer involved.
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer fired their weapon during a shootout that killed a 23-year-old murder suspect in Clemmons on Friday, officials said.
Alexander Dekontee Weah was identified as the suspect wanted on a Mecklenburg County homicide warrant, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations said in a news release Monday.
Weah had an outstanding warrant in connection with the Aug. 3 killing of 32-year-old James Michael Hinson in Charlotte, according to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office. CMPD officers found Hinson with a gunshot wound at an apartment complex in the 3100 block of Nobles Avenue in west Charlotte, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
Four Greensboro Police officers also were involved in Friday’s shootout, the SBI said.
Two CMPD officers assisted in the search for Weah, the department said in a statement Friday.
CMPD on Friday, Aug. 12, identified Detective Paul Weis as the officer involved in the shooting. He has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard policy whenever an officer discharges their weapon, police said.
Once the SBI investigation is done, the case file will be given to the Forsyth County District Attorney for review. The DA will determine if the officers will face criminal charges, not the SBI, the release said.
The shootout happened after officers from both departments, along with the SBI and Forsyth County sheriff’s deputies, tried to serve Weah with the warrant at a gas station on Lewisville-Clemmons Road. Clemmons is about 60 miles northeast of Charlotte.
Weah shot at the officers as they approached, leading to the exchange of gunfire, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. A Greensboro Police officer suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, but the department confirmed that he was in stable condition.
Greensboro Police said it’s conducting an internal investigation to determine whether department policies were followed.
This story was originally published August 8, 2022 at 12:35 PM.
