Officer Shoots Armed Woman While Responding To Overdose Call

GASTONIA, NC — The State Bureau of Investigation has been asked to launch an investigation after a police officer shot an armed woman while responding to an overdose call in Gastonia early Monday.

The incident occurred shortly after midnight in the early hours of Feb. 8, in the 1200 block of Mountain Avenue.

"When officers arrived they encountered a female armed with a gun inside the resident," Gastonia Police Department said in a statement.

Following the shooting, the woman was transported to CaroMont Regional Medical Center, then airlifted to Atrium Health's Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, police said.

In the statement, GPD did not list her condition but said her name was being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The GPD officer was placed on administrative leave with pay, per department protocol, GPD said.

"The Gastonia Police Department's Office of Professional Standards will conduct a separate but parallel administrative investigation to determine whether department policies and procedures were followed," GPD said.