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Man shoots two Fayetteville officers, brother, commits suicide

A 19-year-old man shot two Fayetteville police officers and his brother early Monday and engaged in a standoff with police before committing suicide, police said.

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FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A 19-year-old man shot two Fayetteville police officers and his brother early Monday and engaged in a standoff with police before committing suicide, police said.

Police responded to a home on Argon Avenue around 1:30 a.m. after getting a call from neighbors that the man was acting erratic.

The gunman was later identified as Careem Leggett, who had been involuntarily committed for psychiatric treatment twice since March 2010.

Police said that, when two officers approached Leggett, he began firing at them.

Officer Malachy Quillen was shot in the neck, throat and shoulder. He was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, where he was listed as serious but stable on Monday afternoon. Quillen just completed field training and had been on the job for about a week at the time of the shooting. 

Another officer, Sgt. Doug Nicolosi, was grazed by a bullet.

After firing on the officers, Leggett shot his brother in the leg and barricaded himself inside the home.

After failed attempts to negotiate with Leggett, tear gas was thrown inside the home. Several minutes later authorities entered the house and found Leggett in a back bedroom. 

The State Bureau of Investigation has begun an investigation into the shooting, which is standard procedure when an officer is involved in a shooting. 

Authorities say it appears Leggett's mental health issues might have been a factor in Monday's incident. 

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