Shooting victim dies days after altercation in Gastonia

GASTONIA, N.C. — A man has died more than a week after he was shot in Gastonia, police said. The person accused of shooting him was shot and killed by police that day, authorities said.

Offices were responding to Osceola Street just after 5 a.m. on March 26 for a report of a man with a gun chasing a woman in the parking lot. When they arrived, police found 58-year-old Calvin Wayne Black who was armed with a handgun, they said.

Two officers shot Black, police said, and he died at the scene. No officers were hurt in the incident.

After their initial investigation, police discovered a 57-year-old woman who Black had assaulted. They also found a 61-year-old man inside the home who they believe Black shot before officers arrived.

The woman who was assaulted is expected to recover. The 61-year-old man, Clifford Barton, was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. On Monday, investigators said he died from his injuries.

Quinton Bell said he was looking through his window when he saw police enter his neighbor’s home to confront Black.

“They told him to drop his weapon. He wouldn’t drop it and he fired on them,” Bell said.

That’s when he heard shots fired.

Bell said the police had no choice.

“They did their job,” Bell said. “They were not in the wrong. They did their job, and they have every right to fire back on him.”

Gastonia police said they will not release the names of the officers involved in the shooting. Per standard procedure, those officers have been placed on administrative leave while the department conducts an investigation into what happened.

“Grateful for the heroic work that our officers did that night,” said Chief Trent Conard, Gastonia Police Department.

‘He shot at the officers, officers fired back’

Channel 9′s Glenn Counts spoke with neighbors who witnessed the incident.

They said it began when a woman was allegedly threatened and chased by her ex-boyfriend after letting her dog out of her home.

Clinton Bell told Channel 9 that he witnessed the entire thing from his living room window. He said a family friend was the one who called the police.

“[The woman] got right here and he hit her in the head a couple of times. About three or four times with the gun. They got up and went into the house. The door was shut and she called the police. He come up, the cops come up. They went around to the back … the cop heard shots cause he told his partner, ‘shots fired, shots fired.’ They kicked the door open and the cop told the guy, ‘drop the gun.’ He didn’t do it. He shot at the officers, officers fired back,” Bell described.

No further information was released.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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