Charlotte unlicensed security guard arrested in reckless shooting at area Lowes store
CHARLOTTE NC February 23, 2022— A security officer who witnesses said chased down two shoplifting suspects and fired shots into the suspects’ car as they were trying to get away has been charged, according to police.
On Monday, officers said Tammy Huntley, 48, was charged with shooting into an occupied vehicle.
“She emptied her clip. I heard at least five shots. I’ve seen her let off,” a witness told Channel‘s John Paul. “I was kind of traumatic. She was shooting at the car. I don’t know what she was shooting at because I didn’t see one bullet hit. She was shooting at the car. The car kept going. He was driving.”
Others told police at least a dozen shots were fired.
No one was hurt during the incident.
DPS confirmed the security guard wasn’t licensed with the state at the time of the incident.
According to a police report from the incident, two suspects were accused of putting tools and display items in a cart and leaving without paying. The suspects were confronted by the security guard, who was assaulted before the suspects fled the scene.
A key element of the investigation is to determine if it was a justified shooting.
Former CMPD Officer Lee Ratliff now runs a professional security service, training law enforcement, security and even the military.
“The questions would be — What the officer faced at the time of the shooting? That’s what you have to look at,” Ratliff said.
He said a security guard can pull a trigger when the guard is in imminent danger. They cannot be the instigator, based on the environment they are in, and they cannot use excessive force.
“It’s not justified to use deadly force to protect personal property, to deal with a person that is stealing, before, during or after a theft,” Ratliff said.
However, CMPD said the guard was assaulted by the suspects. They didn’t say how the guard was assaulted, but the case could hinge on those details. In the case, the car could also be seen as a weapon, according to Ratliff.
“If the vehicle is being used as a deadly weapon, the officer would be authorized or justified using deadly force to protect themselves and other people,” Ratliff said.
CMPD has not located the persons originally involved in the retail theft.
