GREENSBORO, N.C. — Greensboro police said an officer shot and killed a 17-year-old driver during a traffic stop Sunday night.
It happened in the 4900 block of W. Market Street around 9 p.m. in a shopping plaza parking lot. Police said two other passengers were in the car -- a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old. Officials said all the teenagers are from the Hope Mills and Fayetteville areas.
According to a release, the officer pulled over the driver for an undisclosed traffic violation and discovered the car was stolen.
Police said as the officer approached the car, the driver took off.
When the officer was able to stop the car again, police said several people ran from the car.
Police said while the officer tried to detain other passengers, the driver hit the gas, hitting the officer's patrol car.
Police said the driver hit the gas again, and that's when the officer fired in the driver's direction. Police said the driver, 17 years old, died at the scene. They said the two other teenagers who were in the car are not in custody.
GPD has not released the names of any of the teenagers or the officer.
We spoke to a man who lives near where the shooting happened. Omar Mateen said he ran down the street after hearing multiple shots fired.
"The vehicle looked like it was facing this way. This door was open, that door was open. I didn't see if those doors were open but I am thinking maybe the doors were open because there was a lot of scrambling. I don't know if it was the people scrambling out of the car," Mateen said.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is conducting a criminal investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, the Greensboro Police Department’s Professional Standards Division will conduct an internal investigation to determine whether Greensboro Police Department policies were followed.
The officer is now on administrative duty, which is the policy in cases like this.