North Charleston Man Fatally Shot By Police

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A South Carolina man was shot and killed during an encounter with police late last week after brandishing what was believed to have been a firearm.

It wasn’t…

Officers with the North Charleston Police Department (NCPD) responded to Rivers Avenue last Friday afternoon (November 30, 2024) in response to reports of an armed man at a bus stop. Witnesses – including an off-duty officer who was near a Charleston Area Regional Transit Authority (CARTA) bus stop at the time – reported seeing a man wearing a black hat and brown jacket armed with what appeared to be a handgun.

When confronted by responding law enforcement, the subject pointed his purported weapon at them – prompting them to open fire on him. After securing the scene, NCPD officers attempted life-saving measures on the wounded man – but despite these efforts (and subsequent medical attention administered by emergency responders) he succumbed to his wounds and was pronounced dead on the scene.

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Charleston County coroner Bobbi Jo O’Neal identified the man as 47-year-old Noland H. Clark of North Charleston. The deadly incident occurred at approximately 3:56 p.m. EST at Cherokee Street near Navajo Street.

As a matter of protocol, the incident has resulted in NCPD requesting an independent investigation by the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) – which probes the vast majority of officer-involved shootings in the Palmetto State.

“Upon initial investigation by SLED, the object that witnesses and law enforcement officials saw on the man was determined to be a plastic object, painted black, and shaped like a handgun,” a statement released by SLED public information director Renée Wunderlich noted.

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Saturday’s fatal incident was the 40th such shooting in South Carolina this year – and the fifth involving NCPD. According to SLED’s statement, its agents are interviewing witnesses, collecting evidence and performing forensic analyses of the scene and items uncovered thereupon. SLED’s investigators will compile the findings from their investigation into a report which will be presented to the solicitor with jurisdiction over the area, which in this case is S.C. ninth circuit solicitor Scarlett Wilson.

In 2023, there were 43 officer-involved shootings in South Carolina – including one involving NCPD officers.

SLED has stated that no additional details will be released while this investigation remains active.

“SLED’s goal is to conduct a thorough, independent criminal investigation as timely as is possible under the circumstances,” Wunderlich’s statement noted.

Count on FITSNews to provide our audience with any pertinent updates related to this story…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Callie Lyons is a journalist, researcher and author. Her 2007 book ‘Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal’ was the first to cover forever chemicals and their impact on communities – a story later told in the movie ‘Dark Waters.’ Her investigative work has been featured in media outlets, publications, and documentaries all over the world. Lyons also appears in ‘Citizen Sleuth’ – a 2023 documentary exploring the genre of true crime.

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