Raleigh officer cleared in shooting death of man on Easter weekend

Police said Senior Officer W.B. Edwards was investigating a report of a cellphone stolen from someone at a Sheetz gas station on New Bern Road on April 20 when he encountered 30-year-old Soheil Mojarrad outside a nearby shopping center.

Mojarrad began screaming obscenities at Edwards and waving his hands around, and when Mojarrad reached into his pants pocket, Edwards pulled his gun and told him to stop, police said.

Police: Man approached Raleigh officer with knife, refused to drop it before fatal shooting

According to an autopsy, Mojarrad was shot six times: twice in the chest, his left side, his right hip, his right thigh and his right buttock.

In the days after the shooting, the Raleigh Police Department released a preliminary report that included Officer Edwards' statement that Mojarrad pulled a folding knife from his pants pocket, flicked it open and raised it to head level.

"Mr. Mojarrad repeatedly advanced towards Officer Edwards," the report states. "Each time he advanced, Officer Edwards fired his service weapon at him, while ordering him to stop. Mr. Mojarrad eventually fell to the ground, with the knife still in his right hand."

Freeman's report notes that surveillance video from businesses in the strip mall showed Mojarrad leaving the Sheetz and heading toward a neighborhood.

The district attorney's office concluded that Edwards feared for his life when Mojarrad ignored repeated commands to drop the knife.

Parents: Man shot and killed by RPD had mental illness, brain injury, 'wanted the best for everybody'

Mojarrad's criminal history included three run-ins with law enforcement in the final months of his life. His most recent arrest was Jan. 10, when he was cited for an assault on a WakeMed police officer. According to that citation, Mojarrad kicked and punched the officer, who was trying to get him to return to the hospital "due to his medical hold status."

That charge came seven days after he missed a court appearance on a charge of assault on an officer. In explaining that absence, Mojarrad wrote that he "was having an anxiety attack and could not even get a ride to court" and that he went to the hospital two days later.

In August 2018, Mojarrad was cited for assaulting a Cary police officer who was, according to the citation, trying to escort him to get medical help. A note on that paperwork says the officer "thinks he needs help" and "is more interested in treatment than conviction."

Court documents also show that Mojarrad listed no income or employment, citing medical disability.

Judy and Mehrdad Mojarrad called their son a kind soul, but acknowledged that he "was struggling everyday."

"As a society, we failed him. Mental illness, brain trauma – it seems like we first figure out someone is guilty and then figure out what happens, and now here we are," Mehrdad Mojarrad said.