A North Carolina law enforcement officer is facing significant legal consequences for the death of a motorcyclist last month.
Carlos Alverto Uribe, 28, is charged with one count of second-degree murder, according to a press release from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
The defendant is a lieutenant with the Newton Police Department (NPD), but he is currently on administrative leave without pay.
The SBI investigated Uribe at his own department’s request after he shot and killed Camden Childers, 21, on June 26. According to the NPD, the fatal incident occurred when the violent climax of a traffic stop went awry after a series of high-speed chases.
The SBI’s findings were presented to the Catawba County District Attorney’s Office, who indicted Uribe earlier this week. The police officer surrendered shortly after.
The prosecutor’s office stated that the review was based on body-worn camera footage, dash cam footage, witness interviews, and other investigative materials. However, Catawba County District Attorney Scott Reilly stated that Uribe’s use of force was not legally justified.
In a statement aimed at anticipating criticism of his decision, the DA also stated that during his six-year tenure, he reviewed 15 different incidents in which police officers fired their guns and found such uses of force to be legally justified.
“However, when the line is crossed—when excessive or unlawful force results in a loss of life—my obligation is to the law and to justice,” Reilly told Charlotte-based NBC affiliate WCNC. “That duty requires accountability, regardless of profession or position.”
On Tuesday, the defendant appeared in court, swapping button-down blues for a jailhouse jumpsuit.
Prosecutors described what happened on the night in question.
Just minutes before midnight, police attempted to stop the motorcycle on U.S. Highway 70 for a variety of violations, including failure to display a registration plate, speeding, and reckless driving.
However, Childers did not stop. Efforts to get the man to pull over were repeatedly interrupted and reconvened.
In total, three chases occurred that night. The motorcycle eventually collided with a patrol vehicle on a cul-de-sac on Northern Drive NW in Conover, about 45 miles northwest of Charlotte.
According to a courtroom report by Belmont-based Fox affiliate WJZY, prosecutors stated that the elusive rider posed little, if any, threat to the officers on the scene.
At the time of the incident, police reported “a brief physical altercation” during which the man was shot. Then, emergency crews performed life-saving efforts, and Childers was transported to a nearby hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
During the hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors claimed that Childers raised his hands in response to a command from an officer other than Uribe. The defendant then allegedly kicked the victim in the abdomen, knocked him down, and shot one bullet into his chest.
Prosecutors allege that Childers’ hands were raised in the air as police had requested – but they were empty.
“That’s what you get for going after an officer’s gun,” Uribe allegedly said at the scene of the shooting.
Again, prosecutors disputed the lieutenant’s story, claiming that body-worn camera footage did not support the idea that Childers reached for anyone’s gun.
“Justice is about fairness, due process, and equal application of the law,” Reilly said in a lengthy statement provided to WJZY. “No one is above the law, and no one is beneath its protection.”
Following the hearing, Uribe posted $100,000 bail. As part of his bond, the defendant is barred from contacting Childers’ family and is required to surrender his passport.
