'I just shot him:' Newly-released 911 call from North Hills shooting reveals father claiming to have shot his son

A newly-released 911 call is providing insight into the shooting that happened at North Hills on Thanksgiving weekend – with the man who called 911 claiming to have shot his son.

He also claimed to be a former law enforcement officer.

"I just shot him," the man told Raleigh police dispatchers.

The shooter's voice is heard reporting the incident. "I need EMS! I need EMS," he screams. "I just shot him or he shot himself!"

During the call, the shooter identified himself as a former law enforcement officer – and said the man shot was his son.

WRAL News has reached out to Raleigh PD for confirmation if the shooter is a retired officer.

Witnesses called to report seeing an argument and hearing gunshots. From inside Bar Taco, an employee called to report hearing a single shot.

Asked by dispatchers where the gun was, the man who claimed to be the shooter says, "I have it in my hand ma'am."

No charges have been filed in the shooting that sent shoppers scrambling. Police responded to the report of a shooting near the Regal movie theater at 4150 Main at North Hills St., close to the Christmas tree and green space in the busy shopping center.

If the shooter is a former officer, it could impact potential charges

The shooter's status as a potentially retired law enforcement officer could play a role in whether or not charges are filed, according to defense attorney and former RPD office Lee Turner.

"There has to be underlying circumstances for person to make that call," said Turner.

Turner says investigators have several factors to look at before considering charges.

"There’s probably a lot of leg work that has to be done by officers and detectives. Being a crowded location like that, there would have been a lot of witnesses. You’ve got to do a lot of interviews," he said.

In the audio clip, the caller says to the dispatcher he’s a retired police officer.

"If that was the case, then that would have given a retired officer, they would have been given the ability or legal right to have that weapon present in that area because they are allowed under their rules to carry that weapon," he said.

Turner goes on to say this is a case that will likely be presented to the District Attorney before any decisions concerning charges are made.

Raleigh police say the shooter and the man who was shot knew each other, but they have not officially identified of either man. No one has been charged in the incident.

It's the second time shots have been fired at North Hills in less than a month. On Nov. 12, one person was taken to the hospital after being grazed by a bullet from a shooting in a parking lot outside North Hills around 12:15 a.m., according to Raleigh police.

Shootings mar busy shopping weekend

On Black Friday, a person was shot at the Walmart Supercenter in Lumberton. Police believe the shooting was between two people who knew each other. In Greenville on the same day, police said two males were shot at Greenville Mall near East Carolina University.

Days earlier, a man opened fire on his coworkers in a Walmart in Virginia late Tuesday, leaving seven people dead, including the gunman, police said.