GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — A Greensboro officer’s use of deadly force earlier this year was justified, according to a statement released on Tuesday afternoon by the office of Guilford County District Attorney Avery Crump.
On May 18 around 8:35 a.m., officers were sent to the LeMans at Lawndale Apartments in the area of 3000 block of Lawndale Drive after a 911 call reported a man in the parking lot with a gun.
Officer J. Perez arrived in a fully marked Greensboro Police Department Ford Explorer with a GPD insignia and rooftop light bar. Perez was also dressed in the standard GPD uniform with a badge and other markings that identified him as a GPD officer.
When he arrived, Perez encountered Gerald Layton Pinckney, 31, in the parking lot of the
apartment complex. Pinckney pulled a gun from his rear waistband and got closer to Perez.
Perez then began to back away while telling Pinckney multiple times to drop his weapon and stop.
When Pinckney continued to get closer to Perez with his gun drawn and then pointed
it at Perez, Perez fired twice, hitting Pinckney.