HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina prosecutor won't charge police who fatally shot a 76-year-old evacuee from Hurricane Irma after the man fired shots inside a hospital where he sought treatment.
The two officers who shot Joseph Charles Cook of Deland, Florida, were responding to an active shooter in a hospital, Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather said Thursday.
Merriweather's report includes security camera photos showing Cook wearing a hospital gown and carrying what appears to be a small handgun in a hallway. The prosecutor says Cook had already fired two shots in his room at Novant Health Medical Center in Huntersville.
Huntersville police officers Travis Watts and Michael Joseph responded, shooting Cook at least eight times at a nurse's station.
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Mario Tama
<p>NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 5: A nurse prints out an EKG monitor reading in the emergency room at Coney Island Hospital September 5, 2002 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The public hospital serves a large multi-ethnic patient population including many Russians, Pakistanis and Central Americans residing in the South Brooklyn area. The emergency room receives approximately 60,000 patients each year. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)</p>
Posted at 2:34 AM, Dec 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-15 02:34:54-05
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
