Off-duty CMPD officer responding to domestic dispute shot in uptown Charlotte
An off-duty police officer ended up in the hospital after responding to a domestic disturbance at an uptown Charlotte apartment early Sunday.
The officer, who police have not yet named, is in stable condition after being shot in the leg during a “confrontation” with another person in the 600 block of North Church Street near The Ascher apartments just after 6 a.m., Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Maj. Bret Balamucki told reporters Sunday.
It is unclear how the off-duty officer, who was alone, became involved. He “went to deescalate” the situation, police said, and was shot once in the leg.
Balamucki did not say the officer was off-duty during the Sunday morning news conference. That detail was later revealed in a news release posted on CMPD’s website.
He would not say who the discharged gun belonged to or whether there was an exchange of gunfire. He declined to share many details of the shooting. The investigation was in its earliest stages, he said, and police had not yet interviewed the shot officer, who was still in a hospital bed post-surgery at about 9 a.m. Sunday.
“This is a stark reminder of the dangers our officers face on a day to day basis,” Balamucki said. “Whether in uniform or out of uniform, there’s always risks of engaging with people that are committing crimes or trying to hurt someone... and we step into those roles voluntarily.”
After the shooting, paramedics were on their way to the scene when police canceled the transport request. They applied a tourniquet to the shot officer’s leg and took him to Atrium Hospital themselves, in a patrol car.
Police say the man involved in the incident attempted to flee on foot but was detained and is now in custody.
At 9:30 a.m. Sunday, more than three hours after the shooting, crime scene investigators were looking on sidewalks and inside sewer grates. A fire truck pulled through police tape, into the apartment’s parking deck, and began hosing down the sidewalk. Passersby were few, and drivers trying to enter the deck slowed to peer at the eight patrol cars and dozens of officers before circling around the block.
The incident happened following a fatal shooting early Saturday with one person killed and two hospitalized, The Charlotte Observer reported.
The shooting happened in the 200 block of North Caldwell Street, police said. A third person also was shot but sustained non-life threatening injuries.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published July 6, 2025 at 10:34 AM.
