Wilmington police officer fires weapon at apartment complex, 2 arrested
A gun was fired by a Wilmington police officer Monday evening during an incident that led to two people being arrested.
According to a news release from Brandon Shope, communications specialist with the Wilmington Police Department, the officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave, which he called "standard procedure" for officers who fire their weapons for any reason while on the job.
Shope said the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation "has not been called in because no one was injured."
According to the release, police went to 3950 Independence Blvd. in Wilmington, which is the address of the Hawthorne at Indy West apartment complex, around 4:40 p.m. Monday because a fire alarm had been activated.
After police arrived, a witness told officers they had seen a woman who appeared to be upset holding a knife and walking through the apartment building. At the apartment where the fire alarm had been activated, officers say they found a woman holding a "large serrated knife."
According to the release, officers "attempted to de-escalate the situation" and told the woman multiple times to drop the knife. After police say the woman "lunged at an officer with the knife in an aggressive manner" the officer fired at least one shot.
Police then arrested 37-year-old Stacy Rayburn of Castle Hayne and charged her with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, resisting arrest and failure to appear in court on a previous misdemeanor charge. Rayburn is now at the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office Detention Center under a $100,000 secured bond.
In the apartment, police also arrested 50-year-old Daniel Edward Wasilas of Wilmington and charged him with possession of just under 26 grams of methamphetamine and of about two pounds of marijuana, in addition to other charges. Wasilas is being held in jail under a $50,000 secured bond.
Contact John Staton at 910-343-2343 or John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: WPD officer fires weapon during arrest at Wilmington apartment complex
