Local News

Carjacking suspect shot by police dies

Renford Butler, 34, was shot by a police officer following a chase through downtown Raleigh on Aug. 5. He died at WakeMed Wednesday afternoon.

Posted Updated

RALEIGH, N.C. — A carjacking suspect, whom a police officer shot following a chase through downtown Raleigh, died Wednesday.

Police say Renford Butler, 34, robbed a cab driver on Aug. 5 near Dorthea Dix Hospital then fled in the taxi.

Officers chased Butler at high speeds through downtown Raleigh before he crashed the cab into a van near the intersection of Lane and Dawson streets.

Police say Butler then waved a straight razor as officers cornered him. That is when Officer J. Bloodworth opened fire, shooting him twice. Butler died at WakeMed.

Bloodworth, who joined the Raleigh Police Department in June 2002, is on paid administrative duty while the State Bureau of Investigation and the department’s Internal Affairs Unit investigate the shooting. Such investigations are routine in officer-involved shootings.

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.