Robeson man in mental distress called 911. His family wants to know why SWAT showed up and killed him

Months after a Robeson County man was shot dozens of times during a mental health call, his family said Thursday that they want more details about what led to his death.

Posted 5:20 p.m. May 27, 2021 — Updated 9:31 p.m. May 27, 2021

Gilbert Baez

, WRAL Fayetteville reporter, & Matthew Burns, WRAL.com senior producer/politics editor

LUMBERTON, N.C. — Months after a Robeson County man was shot dozens of times during a mental health call, his family said Thursday that they want more details about what led to his death.

Authorities say Matthew Oxendine, 46, called 911 on the night of Jan. 9 and said, "I'm going to bleed out," before hanging up. When sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene, they said Oxendine was inside his car and waved a gun at them.

Although a rifle was found between the car's front seats, family members said they don't believe Oxendine brandished a gun. They said he suffered from mental health issues and was despondent after a night of drinking.

"He was depressed, going through some things," said Chesley Oxendine III, who said he spoke with his brother on the phone that night. "He was talking about suicide when we first started talking. Then, I started telling him, 'You’ve got something to live for.'"

Matthew Oxendine's car was outside the home of his cousin, Hope Bullard, in Pembroke when deputies arrived. Bullard said she told the deputies that the family would take care of him and that they could leave. Instead, she said, the SWAT team showed up, they rammed Matthew Oxendine's car and deputies opened fire on him.

Greg Oxendine, another brother, said he was on the phone with Bullard when the shooting started.

"It sounded like a machine gun," he said. "To hear that on the phone is unreal, to know that something like that happened."

Attorneys for the family said more than 30 shots were fired during the encounter.

"I’ve been involved in a lot of cases. I can honestly say I’ve never seen this many shots," attorney Bakari Sellers said. "I have never seen this type of excessive force used before in my life."

The State Bureau of Investigation reviewed the shooting and turned its findings over to Robeson County District Attorney Matt Scott. Attorneys said Scott has kept the family informed and has promised to share the SBI report with them once the investigation is complete.

The Oxendine family and their attorneys question why a SWAT team showed up instead of any ambulances or social workers. They also are concerned that there is no video of the incident from any body-worn or dashboard cameras.

Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said he's asked county commissioners for money to buy body-worn cameras for his deputies but was turned down. He said he's now waiting on some federal funding to purchase them.

Robeson County deputies fired more than 30 shots at Matthew Oxendine's car on Jan. 9, 2021, after he called 911 in mental distress, according to his family's attorneys.

"We know policies were not followed. There’s no way you go from a mental distress call to SWAT showing up," Sellers said.

"There’s no way in this day and age there shouldn’t be bodycam [or] dashcam," said Marcus Oxendine, another brother. "How are the police able to go into the streets and shoot down citizens without it being recorded and documented? We’re asking for full transparency in this situation, for all of our questions to be answered."

Still, Greg Oxendine said, even that won't bring their brother back.

"At the end of the day, there will never be closure. Matt is gone," he said. "Whether law enforcement is charged or not charged – we would prefer them to be charged, held accountable, found guilty – but we will never get Matt back."

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