Family: Man who shot Fayetteville officer suffered from mental illness

Charles McBennett, 45, was initially spotted by Jessie and Marvin Buie as he exited their Rosehill Road home, said Debra Buie, the couple's daughter.

Officers arrived two minutes after the Buies called 911. After an hour-long standoff, Debra Buie said McBennett came through the front door.

“And he bent down and he pulled out two guns and started shooting, and they fired back,” she said.

Fayetteville Police Officer Michael Canada, 50, was shot in the leg. He was treated and released from Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

Fayetteville Police Officer Barret Locklear, 28, who joined the department in January 2013, was also involved in the shootout. He has been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation, which is standard in officer-involved shootings.

Officers returned fire before McBennett, who was hit, ran back into the home.

"He was standing probably right here,” Debra Buie said, pointing to a spot just past the front door. “And when they shot him, as you can see, it went up the door. There's skin and hair on the door and he dropped dead right there behind (a kitchen) chair."

Family members said McBennett, who lives across the street from the Buies, suffered from mental illness and was committed three times within the past six months for trying to kill himself.

“We tried to get him help,” said McBennett’s brother-in-law, who did not want to be identified. “He had shot himself at that time. They had him for a week. They released him. They just keep upping his dosage. They hadn't switched his medication. They just kept upping it from 50 to 1200 milligrams.”