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GREENSBORO — An Archdale police officer who shot and killed a UNC-Chapel Hill student along I-85 in August opened fire after he thought the student was going for a gun, according to reports released Thursday.

The State Bureau of Investigation continues to investigate, and authorities have not said if a weapon was recovered.

An autopsy and investigative report released by the N.C. Medical Examiner’s Office shows 21-year-old Courtland Smith was shot four times by police and confirms that he was intoxicated as he sped down the interstate.

Smith was shot by Archdale Officer Jeremy Flinchum early on the morning of Aug. 23 off Exit 108 in Randolph County.

Police arrived after Smith called 911 dispatchers in Guilford County for help — saying he was suicidal, intoxicated and armed with a 9 mm pistol as he careened down the interstate at speeds of up to 110 miles-per-hour.

Smith could be heard yelling at officers on a recording of the 911 call, saying “I gotta pull something out” just before officers reportedly began shooting. The tape coincides with the investigative report released Thursday.

“He got out of the car (and) made a suggestive move toward his pocket, which police interpreted as a move to get a gun,” according to an investigative report signed by Dr. Gordon B. Arnold, medical examiner for Guilford and Randolph counties.

The autopsy shows Smith was shot four times: in the right forearm, abdomen, right thigh and upper back. The report doesn’t indicate drugs were found in Smith’s system. However, the autopsy said Smith had a blood-alcohol level of .22 percent, almost three times the legal limit for drivers.

The confrontation was captured by an officer’s dashboard video camera; a Randolph County judge ruled against releasing the video to the public in late September.

Once an SBI investigation is complete, reports will be turned over to the Randolph County District Attorney’s Office.

Smith of Houston was a junior majoring in biology. He was president of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity chapter.

On Thursday night, the fraternity released a statement saying it was “dumbfounded” by the examiner’s report.

“We are not autopsy experts,” the statement said, “but we are confused by these editorial comments made by the local Medical Examiner with no references to his sources.”

Smith’s mother, Susan, told the News & Observer of Raleigh in August that “his best friend was with him at 2 a.m. and said he was fine.” The Smith family did not return messages Thursday.

Since the shooting, the university’s Greek Judicial Board has placed the fraternity on a one-year probation for alcohol policy violations at a party Courtland Smith attended before the shooting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals @news-record.com