The Duke University Police Department has released the names of the two officers involved in the fatal shooting of an unidentified man early Saturday morning.
The incident occurred at about 1 a.m. outside Duke University Hospital’s main entrance on Erwin Road and Fulton Street. DUPD Chief John Dailey said the shooting resulted from an “altercation” between the man and officers Larry Carter and Jeffrey Liberto. Carter has worked for DUPD for 23 years and Liberto has served for two.
“This is a tragic thing, it’s tragic for everybody that was involved,” Dailey said in an interview Saturday. “Absolutely our thoughts are with this person’s family.”
Dailey would not comment Sunday on the events leading up to the altercation or the incident itself. He declined to say how many shots were fired or whether the victim was armed, citing the pending investigations by the department and the State Bureau of Investigation.
DUPD officials identified the officers involved in a statement Saturday at about 5 p.m. Carter and Liberto are now on paid administrative leave in accordance with procedure, a Duke official announced in a news release Sunday afternoon. Dailey declined to say whether both officers fired their weapons.
The victim, who has not been identified, was taken to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Chapel Hill, according to Sunday’s statement.
Dailey said Saturday there is no evidence the victim was a patient, employee or visiting family member. He added that there is no evidence the incident was gang related, but said “everything is under investigation at this point.”
DUPD’s incident report is expected to be released “sometime next week,” according to the statement Sunday.
Patient care services and regular operations were not disrupted by the Saturday morning shooting. The hospital’s main entrance was secured and blocked after the incident, and a mobile command center was assembled outside until between 8 and 9 a.m., Dailey said. The Durham Police Department provided additional officers to help DUPD secure the scene.
Dailey said one of the DUPD officers was treated for “a minor injury” in the Emergency Department and was released Saturday morning. He declined to say which officer was injured or what kind of injuries the officer suffered.
In addition to the SBI’s investigation of the incident, DUPD will also conduct an internal administrative investigation as is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings, Dailey said.
“We have officers who are trained in investigating these types of things,” Dailey said Saturday. “That is standard protocol for most agencies in North Carolina is to have the SBI come in. They are an objective, outside agency with a lot of expertise in investigating officer-involved incidents like this.”
Dailey said the department is working to make sure all officers, particularly Carter and Liberto, receive necessary support. He said the officers are receiving support through the employee assistance program.
“Although they realize this can be part of the job, part of the responsibility, when it happens, it’s extremely traumatic,” he said.
According to N.C. General Statutes, an officer is authorized to use deadly force “to defend himself or a third person from what he reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of deadly physical force.” All DUPD officers are trained in when to use deadly force, Dailey said. He added that police-involved shootings are rare nationally but not unprecedented, citing an incident March 2 in which University of Florida police fatally shot a doctoral student at an off-campus apartment.
It has been almost 28 years since Duke officers shot someone, according to searches of several newspaper archives. The last time Duke officers were involved in a fatal shooting was Oct. 21, 1982, according to Chronicle archives. Two officers shot Danny Lee Winstead about a block from the entrance to Duke Hospital after he attacked the officers with a wooden board. A grand jury later decided not to press charges against the officers.
- Read The Chronicle's story on the 1982 shooting and the grand jury decision.
Nearly 10 years later, a Durham Police sniper fatally shot escaped convict Ricky Lamont Coffin when he held four people hostage at gunpoint in Duke Hospital.
- Read The Chronicle's 1992 story on the hostage situation [jump].
Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, said the University will look into Saturday’s shooting.
“Our first concern always is for the safety of our officers, our staff, our patients, our visitors and others who might have been in danger, and ensuring their safety will always be our first priority,” he said.
Doug Stokke, assistant vice president of communications for the Duke University Health System, deferred comment on hospital procedure in the incident Saturday to David Jarmul, associate vice president for University news and communications. Jarmul deferred comment back to Stokke, who did not respond to a second attempt that afternoon or to additional requests for comment Sunday.
Zachary Tracer contributed reporting.
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