Durham police: Officers involved in fatal shooting didn't violate any policies

Durham police on Friday said three officers involved in the shooting death of a man at McDougald Terrace in November did not violate any department policies or procedures.

Posted 2:18 p.m. Jun 9, 2017 — Updated 5:39 p.m. Jul 13, 2018

DURHAM, N.C. — Durham police on Friday said three officers involved in the shooting death of a man at McDougald Terrace in November did not violate any department policies or procedures.

The Durham District Attorney announced in March that no charges would be filed against officers Charles Barkley, Monte Southerland and Christopher Goss in the death of 34-year-old Frank Nathaniel Clark.

In a detailed report released Friday, authorities say the officers were patrolling the apartment complex at about 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 22 when Officer Southerland stopped Clark to talk to him.

According to police, Officer Barkley was attempting to check Clark for weapons when Clark punched him in the face.

A struggle ensued following the punch, at which time police say Clark pulled a gun from his pants and fired a shot.

Following the gunshot, a struggle ensued between Southerland and Clark. Believing he had been shot, Southerland pushed Clark away from him as he fell to the ground. At that point, police say Clark fired a second shot in the direction of Barkley.

Barkley returned fire, hitting Clark twice, police said. The district attorney's office said Clark was hit once in the head and once in the thigh.

Following the shots, police say, officers Barkley and Goss checked to see if Southerland had been shot and then began attending to Clark as EMS was in route to the area.

Durham police say the State Bureau of Investigation conducted two canvasses of the McDougald Terrace development during its investigation of the incident. No citizens who witnessed the incident were identified.

Suggest A Correction