CMPD identifies officer and suspect involved in shooting near north Charlotte motel

Jonathan Limehouse, Joe Marusak
·2 min read

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer who wounded a citizen Thursday and the man suspected of firing at him while attempting to flee near a north Charlotte motel have been identified.

Shelton Smith, 33, is in stable-but-critical condition at a local hospital after being shot by CMPD officer Trey Hinton around noon outside a Budget Inn in the 4300 block of Old Interstate Road.

The officer attempted to speak with Smith after Smith matched a description of a suspect in a recent shooting and armed robbery, CMPD said. Smith began to run away from Hinton before pulling out a gun and firing in the direction of the officer. Hinton perceived the gunfire “as a lethal threat” and shot Smith, according to CMPD.

Smith’s gun was recovered at the scene, CMPD said.

Warrants for Smith’s arrest have been obtained by detectives, and once he’s released from the hospital, he will be transferred to the Mecklenburg County’s Sheriff’s Office, police said Friday. He’s being charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault on law enforcement with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon and an unrelated charge of communicating threats.

Through probable cause, detectives charged Smith with the armed robbery at the Royal Inn on Tuesday. This case led to police contacting Smith before Thursday’s shooting. Warrants for robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon will be served against Smith once he’s released from the hospital.

As a standard procedure with all officer-involved shootings, the Internal Affairs Bureau “will conduct a separate but parallel investigation to determine whether CMPD policies and procedures were adhered to during the course of the incident,” police said in a press release. Per CMPD protocol, Hinton has been placed on administrative assignment.

Hinton has been with the department since September 2018.

“As you can imagine, the officer is distraught over what happened,” police Chief Johnny Jennings said Thursday during a news conference. “It’s a very difficult time for that officer. We’re going to make sure we provide any resources the officer needs.”

The last time a CMPD officer shot someone was in December 2020.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 704-432-TIPS and speak directly to a Homicide Unit detective. People can also leave information anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or http://charlottecrimestoppers.com/.

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