A man who threw Molotov cocktails and set fire to cars in North Carolina has been shot down by police, officers say.
Officials claim the incident began after a man was seen starting fire in vehicles in a parking lot northeast of Charlotte Saturday afternoon.
The officer who first saw the apparent arson near a district station in Raleigh around 6 p.m. 13.20 (18.20 UK), then called for backing, according to Force Commander Estella Patterson.
Three other officers came to help, she said, and the man was ordered to stop.
But he is said to have continued to throw Molotov cocktails and fired one near an officer.
Ms Patterson continued: ‘Several officers then fired their weapons and the person was beaten several times.’
She could not immediately clarify how many shots were fired or how many times he had been hit – but added that the incident was captured on active body cameras and CCTV outside the police station.
Raleigh Police say they then moved the man away from two vehicles that had been engulfed in flames and tried to save lives.
The man, who was not immediately identified, was taken to a local hospital but died.
Pictures showed a police vehicle with what appeared to be a black and heavily damaged engine compartment being towed away, but Mrs Patterson did not elaborate on which cars were damaged.
She said an investigation is underway and that more details about the shooting will be released in a report in the coming days.
The Chief of Police also thanked the firefighters for their prompt action and extinguishing the flames.
The FBI was notified of the incident and the results of the investigation will be presented to Wake County District Attorney.
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