CMPD officer who struck, killed CPCC student with police cruiser heads to court

Phillip Barker

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer will be in court Wednesday, months after a deadly crash near uptown.

Officer Phillip Barker crashed into James Short on Morehead Street in July, killing him.

[RELATED: CMPD officer charged after hitting, killing CPCC student at 100 mph]

Barker was responding to a crash, and police said he was driving 100 mph in a 35 mph zone at the time of the collision.

Barker is charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle.

A toxicology report revealed that Short, a student at CPCC, had been drinking heavily before the crash.