|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (BFMG) — The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Friday, Nov. 29, in Charleston County.
According to authorities, officers with the North Charleston Police Department responded to reports of an armed man at a bus stop on Rivers Avenue. Officers located the individual, identified as 47-year-old Noland H. Clark, on Cherokee Street. During the encounter, officers shot Clark, who died at the scene. No officers were injured.
The Charleston County Coroner’s Office confirmed Clark’s identity and will release further details.
An initial investigation by SLED determined the object Clark was holding, which appeared to witnesses and officers to be a firearm, was actually a plastic object painted black and shaped like a handgun.
The North Charleston Police Department requested SLED to investigate the incident. SLED’s goal is to conduct an independent, thorough criminal investigation. Agents are interviewing potential witnesses, collecting evidence, and conducting forensic testing as needed. Findings from the investigation will be summarized in a case file report submitted to prosecutors.
This marks the 40th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2024 and the fifth involving the North Charleston Police Department this year. By comparison, there were 43 officer-involved shootings statewide in 2023, with only one involving the North Charleston Police Department according to a media release from SLED.
SLED has not released additional details, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.
Officer-involved shootings in South Carolina remain a focus for law enforcement agencies and oversight bodies. The North Charleston Police Department’s increase in such incidents highlights the importance of investigative processes like SLED’s, designed to ensure transparency and accountability.
This is a developing story, and updates will be provided as new information becomes available.
