CLINTON — Officers with the Clinton Police Department are now on administrative leave following the fatal shooting of a Sampson County man at one of the town’s local fast-food restaurants.
According to a press release from Clinton Police Chief Jay Tilley, officers responded to a 911 call at the Burger King at 100 Southeast Blvd. at approximately 11:57 p.m. The call was placed by employees of the restaurant, asking for help. When officers arrived, Tilley said they found a male subject in a truck in the parking lot, armed with a shotgun.
“Responding officers, including a trooper from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, cordoned off the parking lot and attempted to negotiate with the subject to surrender,” Tilley stated in the release. “The male subject did not respond to the officer’s commands to put the weapon down.”
According to Tilley, the man pointed the shotgun at the officers, who returned fire, fatally striking the man. The male subject was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no injuries to the officers.
“The Clinton Police Department has requested the State Bureau of Investigation to conduct an investigation in the details of the shooting,” Tilley said. “The Department’s Internal Affair Unit will also conduct an administrative investigation into the shooting. All officers involved have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of these investigations.”
Tilley said on Monday the gun-wielding man shot by law enforcement officers at Burger King over the weekend was 53-year-old Warsaw resident John Mark Coffey.
The officers involved in the shooting include Lt. R.K. Dalton, an 11-year veteran with the Clinton force; Sgt. A.D. Clowney, a 10-year veteran of the department; Detective S.M. Crespo, a two-year veteran; Cpl. J.A. Kittrell, an 11-year veteran; Cpl. J.A. Snell, a two-year veteran; Officer A.W. McDuffie, a one-year veteran; Officer B.N. Hall, a one-year veteran; and N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper M. High, who has been with the HP for one year.