DA, sheriff and police chief to address March officer-involved shooting in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — New Hanover County District Attorney Jason Smith will hold a press conference Wednesday afternoon regarding the officer-involved shooting death of Edilberto Espinoza-Sierra.

Smith will be joined by New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon and Wilmington Police Chief Ryan Zuidema at the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office.

The announcement comes more than three months after Espinoza-Sierra was shot and killed by law enforcement officers during an incident in a downtown Wilmington parking deck.

Officers and deputies were responding to a shooting in the Market Street parking deck during the early morning hours of March 8. Investigators said officers encountered Espinoza-Sierra inside a vehicle and ordered him to stop. Authorities said he did not comply and was shot after nearly striking officers while attempting to drive away.

The incident occurred after a separate shooting inside the parking deck that left one man injured. Police later arrested 22-year-old Rafael Martinez of Wallace and charged him with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury in connection with that shooting.

The shooting death of Espinoza-Sierra prompted protests in downtown Wilmington, with family members and supporters calling for transparency and answers about the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has been investigating the officer-involved shooting. WWAY will have more details as they become available.