Man shot by Durham officer identified

Durham, N.C. — The man killed in an officer involved shooting last week has been identified as 25-year-old Oscar Manuel Alonzo-Chavarria, Durham police spokeswoman Kammie Michael said.

Alonzo-Chavarria, of Durham, died 14 hours after being shot by a Durham officer on March 19.

Police responded to a "disturbance with a weapon" call at about 2 a.m. at an apartment complex at 1700 Hillcrest Drive. Several people called 911 and reported hearing shots.

An officer patrolling nearby radioed that he heard eight to nine shots and asked for backup, police said.

Officers J.R. Broadwell and F.R. Cook went to the back side of the apartment complex on Sedgefield Street and saw a man armed with a gun come around the side of the building, police said.

"The man pointed a gun at Officer Broadwell, according to a preliminary investigation, and Officer Broadwell shot him when he failed to drop the gun," Police Chief Jose Lopez said.

Police have responded to at least eight calls in the area involving guns or gunfire, as well as one shooting, in the last year.

Lopez said the investigation hasn't found that Broadwell, who's been with the Durham Police Department for 10 years, did anything wrong.

State Bureau of Investigation agents and the police department’s Professional Standards Division are investigating the shooting. SBI involvement is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting.

Broadwell and Cook were placed on administrative duty with pay, pending the results of the SBI investigation. Such moves are standard procedure.