By Associated Press - Thursday, July 6, 2017

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina prosecutor says a police officer was justified in fatally shooting a mentally ill man who pointed a rifle at the back of a fellow officer who was running for cover.

District Attorney R. Andrew Murray said Thursday that no criminal charges are justified against Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Brian Walsh because he fired his gun after perceiving a threat during the March 8 confrontation.

Murray said in a 175-page report that Walsh killed 25-year-old Iaroslav Mosiiuk with a single shot to the back. Mosiiuk was pointing a rifle that was loaded, but it was missing a critical piece and wouldn’t work. The state official said Walsh could not have known that when he acted.

People were interested in these podcasts

Officials say the officer is white, as was Mosiiuk.

Copyright © 2026 The Washington Times, LLC.

Story Topics

Please read our comment policy before commenting.