North Carolina Police Kill Deaf Man After Chase
Police say they were looking to pull over Daniel Kevin Harris for speeding.
— -- North Carolina police shot and killed a deaf man who was the father of a 3-year-old after a traffic stop following a brief chase, according to authorities.
On Aug. 18, police said they tried to stop a car driven by Daniel Kevin Harris for speeding on I-485.
After a brief pursuit the suspect got out of his vehicle and a confrontation took place with officers, during which a trooper fired a shot, police said.
Harris died at the scene.
"At the request of the Highway Patrol, the State Bureau of Investigation is conducting an investigation into the shooting," the North Carolina Highway Patrol said in a statement. "All questions regarding this investigation should be forwarded to their office."
The SBI said "details of the encounter are still being investigated" and that the agency is working on getting body and dash-cam footage.
It was not clear if police knew that Harris was deaf at the time of the shooting.
Harris' brother, Charles, said in a statement posted on Facebook: "my family and I dont understand why it had to happened."
He said his brother was "really scared" of cops because of publicized police confrontations with unarmed or black people.
"Worst thing is...my brother Daniel is deaf. how he can communicate with polices and able to feel safe and protect himself from polices? My brother is UNARMED and still get shot by police," Charles Harris wrote in the statement.