Man who shot 2 officers wanted on 10 warrants, 4 orders for arrest

CHARLOTTE — The man the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said shot two officers has an extensive criminal history and was wanted on 10 warrants and four orders for arrest across two counties. CMPD identified the man as 28-year-old Reggie Knight. A CMPD officer shot and killed Knight on Friday night after CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings says Knight shot two officers. Both officers are expected to be okay.

According to Chief Jennings, CMPD was attempting to arrest Knight on Friday at a home on Headquarters Farm Road in University City.

“This is somebody we have been looking for,” Jennings said.

This is the second time in less than a year that officers came under fire in Charlotte while attempting to serve a warrant. In April, 8 officers were shot, and four died while attempting to serve a warrant in east Charlotte.

“You just have to continue to learn be more vigilant,” Chief Jennings said. “It’s unfortunate, but some people want to respond by using deadly force.”

According to CMPD, among the charges Knight was wanted for include assault with a deadly weapon, strangulation, and domestic violence. Records show he served three years in prison on a second-degree kidnapping charge. The Union County Sheriff’s Office told Channel 9 its agency has arrested Knight 12 times since 2015.

Charlotte City Councilman Tariq Bokhari, a staunch advocate for police safety, says he’s thankful both officers are OK. He says this is a sign the city needs to get serious about repeat offenders.

“One of the themes we continually see is these repeat offenders who have literally been in and out of the system multiple times,” he said. “Whether it’s us or the General Assembly, we have to focus in on repeat criminal offenders because they’re just responsible for so much of an outsized portion of the crimes we see.”

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