Man at NC Food Lion bit police sergeant who fatally shot him, recording shows
On the day Dennis Bodden was shot and killed by a Pineville police sergeant after allegedly shoplifting from a Food Lion, he bit the officer beforehand on the arm, according to police radio communications of the event.
The radio communications, as well as a 911 call from the Johnston Road Food Lion, detail some of the events of the day leading up to the shooting, and the police and the store’s familiarity with Bodden. The Observer obtained them through a public record request to Pineville police.
“I got the same guy who keeps coming in here, shoplifting,” a 911 caller said to a dispatcher on May 14. “Right now he’s in the produce department, making his rounds. It’s the same guy your officer keeps coming for.”
The radio communications show that the 911 caller and police treated the reported shoplifting with urgency.
The dispatcher asked if Bodden was still at the store concealing items, which the caller confirmed. He asked the police to “please hurry up.”
The dispatcher tried asking the caller if he had a clothing description for Bodden, but the caller had already ended the call.
A responding police sergeant said Bodden had at least one warrant out for his arrest.
Pineville police previously said the incident began shortly after 3 p.m. on May 14. The department also described Bodden as a “chronic shoplifting suspect” at the Food Lion.
A previous press release also said Bodden had four unserved felony warrants connected to break-ins at the same Food Lion.
“I think the guy has warrants,” the responding sergeant said. “Is he wearing underwear again?”
The sergeant approached Bodden outside the grocery store and reported to dispatch that he was wearing a yellow raincoat.
In the radio recordings, the sergeant told a dispatcher he was following Bodden, who already “tried to push off on me,” and also asked where backup was. Another officer said he was “getting to you.”
The sergeant said Bodden began walking into traffic.
The sergeant yelled “Taser deploy, Taser deploy,” into his radio.
The dispatcher noted the Taser was fired at 3:16 p.m. A little later, the sergeant said Bodden got up after being shot with the stun gun.
“He bit me pretty good on my arm,” the sergeant said. “We’re still walking.”
Officers followed Bodden into the Berkshire Place apartments in Charlotte.
The Pineville police press release said the sergeant shot Bodden after he “lunged” toward him and tried to grab his gun. Police have declined to release the sergeant’s name and disciplinary record.
One of the officers shouted “shots fired, shots fired, shots fired,” in the radio communications. The dispatcher noted the shots were fired at 3:18 p.m.
Bodden was shot and killed in the apartment complex’s parking lot.
An officer in the radio communications said Bodden was on the ground and in handcuffs. Another officer asked if anyone had been hit with gunfire, and the responding officer said no.
Both the sergeant and responding officer were taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries, police previously said.
An officer said to the dispatcher that they tried to use something on Bodden’s chest, but it wouldn’t work because of his chest hair.
The dispatcher said “10-4 on chest wound.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are investigating the shooting, and it will be reviewed by prosecutors, who will decide whether the sergeant should be charged with any crime.
The sergeant was placed on paid administrative leave.
This story was originally published May 30, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
