ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WAVY) — An Elizabeth City police officer shot and killed a man who refused to drop his gun after shooting another man on April 20, according to the Elizabeth City Police Department (ECPD).
It happened just before 2 a.m. on the 200 block North Poindexter Street when an officer on foot patrol responded to the sound of gunfire.
Police learned the gunfire came from 33-year-old Byran Christopher White who is accused of shooting 39-year-old Cory Christopher Revelle.
The officer who heard the shots ordered White to drop his gun, but White did not comply and was shot by the officer, according to ECPD.
Additional officers arrived on the scene and began to perform life saving measures on both White and Revelle until EMS crews arrived.
Both men were taken to Sentara Albemarle Medical Center where they later died from their injuries.
On Wednesday, ECPD identified the officer as 41-year-old Lt. Lamar Battle. Battle is a 16 years veteran of the the Elizabeth City Police Department.
During the investigation, police learned that a 17-year-old boy was injured by the gunfire. However, there have yet to determine how the teen received these injuries. He was taken to Sentara Albemarle Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries and has since been released from the hospital.
ECPD is investigating the fatal shooting of Revelle and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations is investigating the shooting death of White.
In a press conference, Police Chief J. Phillip Webster told 10 On Your Side the effect the incident has had on the department.
“An officer involved shooting has, it leaves a scar on the department,” Webster said. “It’s tough to deal with but one thing we’re going to be reaching out to is the state, North Carolina law enforcement assistance program to come in a do a department wide debrief especially for the officers who were there on scene and we’re going to extend that out to all of our partner agencies too.”
The shootings came as a shock to business owners along the street, like Scott Mawhiney, the owner of River City Chiropractic.
“I just woke up this morning and there were pictures of the front of my building and crime scene tape,” Mawhiney said. “It’s a shocking situation for a small town like this and having it right downtown when people are out at night is crazy.”
He told 10 On Your Side what he thought should be done to ensure more safety.
“Maybe we need more on foot especially around the 12 to 2 in the morning area — I think that’s when things get kind of crazy around here,” Mawhiney said. “So fortunately he was here, who knows what could’ve happened after that.”
The officer involved has been placed on administrative duty.
This is an active and ongoing investigation, and the Police Department urges anyone with additional information about these incidents to contact the Elizabeth City Police Department at 252-335-4321, the Crime Line at 252-335-5555, or FUSUS Text-a-Tip at 252-390-8477.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.