HIGH POINT — As more details are confirmed about an officer-involved shooting Monday night, High Point police are trying to stop rumors from spreading in the community.
Police responded to an armed robbery in progress about 9:45 p.m. Monday. When officers arrived at 612 Clover Drive, they said they found Jeremy Antonio Mills, 21, of High Point armed with a firearm. Mills didn’t respond to their orders and made a threatening gesture, police said. The officers shot and killed him.
Initial reports said Mills was armed with a shotgun. Police dismissed that as a rumor Wednesday morning, saying Mills had a handgun.
High Point Police Chief Jim Fealy talked about the shooting Wednesday morning at a meeting of the group High Point Community Against Violence. Although he stressed that there wasn't much he could say while the State Bureau of Investigation looks into the shooting, he said the department wants to confront false rumors.
"We have heard rumors that the suspect was unarmed," Fealy told the group. "Not true. A lie. We have also heard that he was shot in the back. Not true. A lie."
Fealy said he is confident the officers, whom the SBI identified Wednesday as K.H. Kish and C.C. Wolf, were justified in their actions.
Both officers involved have been put on administrative leave, which is standard procedure.
Shortly after the shooting, police arrested Charles Lamont Garrison, 30, of 1700 Brooks Ave. He has been charged with first degree burglary, robbery with a dangerous weapon and second degree kidnapping. Police said Garrison was armed with a .357 revolver. He remains in the Guilford County jail in High Point on a bond of $122,000.
As of Wednesday morning, police were still looking for Ernest Darrell Roberts, 20, in connection with the robbery. Police said he will face the same charges as Garrison.
This is the second fatal shooting by a High Point police officer this year. Officer Josh Clowdis shot and killed Lori Ann Strickland Hopper on March 26.
Police said Hopper was drunk and armed during a domestic dispute. Clowdis was cleared of any wrongdoing in the shooting after an SBI investigation.
Greensboro police also have had two officer-involved deaths this year.
Contact Joe Killian at 883-4422, Ext. 228, or joe.killian@news-record.com
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