Officer charged with murder had not been with Ranlo Police long
A Ranlo police officer accused of killing another man while he was off duty had been with the department for less than six months at the time of the shooting.
Officer Kwaku Riley Agyapon, 34, is accused of using his service weapon to kill 33-year-old Juan Nikely Avalo at a home on Burlington Avenue at 2:15 a.m. on Jan. 1.
Police have released little detail about what exactly happened, except to say that Agyapon was involved in a "domestic dispute," and that Avalo stabbed Agyapon multiple times before Agyapon is alleged to have shot him.
The home on Burlington Avenue where the shooting happened is listed in court records as Avalo's address.
Agyapon was sworn in at the Ranlo Police Department on Aug. 14. Prior to his employment with Ranlo, he worked for the Gastonia Police Department from October 2019 until his employment ended on April 9, 2022.
Agyapon also has worked as a corrections officer in Rowan County for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety from September 2016 until August 2017.
Agyapon is charged with first-degree murder. He has no previous convictions in North Carolina, according to the Department of Public Safety.
Ranlo Town Manager Jonathan Blanton said in an interview that town officials have been saddened and shocked by the killing and Agyapon's subsequent arrest.
"He certainly was not acting on behalf of the town of Ranlo," he said. "We are very disappointed, surprised and disheartened at the situation. Our thoughts, prayers and hearts go out to all involved in the community."
Reporter Kara Fohner can be reached at 704-869-1850 or at kfohner@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Officer charged with murder had not been with Ranlo Police long
