NC officer on security duty fatally shoots man

GASTONIA — Investigators are examining the fatal shooting by an off-duty officer of a man suspected of pointing a gun at another person in a North Carolina hospital.

The Gaston Gazette reported Monday that the Gaston County Police Department said 29-year-old Keyjuantas Devance Tims died after being fatally shot at Gaston Memorial Hospital late Sunday.

Police said Officer W.E. Howell heard there was a man with a gun in a waiting room and when the officer approached the man he pointed the gun at another person. The department said Howell shot Tims.

Howell is on administrative leave with pay during the investigation.

Police Capt. W.S. Melton said investigators are trying to determine if Tims fired his weapon and how many shots Howell fired.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)