Pineville, North Carolina — On May 14, 2024, at 3:10 p.m., The Pineville Police Department (PPD) received a shoplifting call for service from the Food Lion at 10120 Johnston Road. PPD Sergeant Adam Roberts, who was in uniform, working off-duty at the nearby McMullen Creek Shopping Center, informed dispatch he would respond to the call. He drove to the parking lot of the Food Lion where he saw the suspect, 46-year-old Dennis Bodden, walking towards Johnston Road holding a bag containing various grocery items. Bodden was very well known to Pineville Police as being a chronic shoplifting suspect at this Food Lion and having violent tendencies towards police and the public.
In addition, Bodden had two outstanding felony breaking and entering warrants and felony larceny after breaking and entering warrants from this same Food Lion on Johnston Road. Bodden was contacted by Sgt. Roberts in the upper parking lot of Food Lion where Bodden ignored and refused verbal and lawful orders to stop. Bodden refused to follow these lawful orders and continued walking away from the sergeant. Sgt. Roberts continued to follow Bodden across Johnston Road while requesting back-up officers to assist. Bodden became physically confrontational with Sgt. Roberts and less lethal force was used in a Taser deployment by the Sergeant. Less lethal was not effective on Bodden as he continued to walk away from Sgt. Roberts and go towards Cedar Circle Drive.
Bodden and Sergeant Roberts then briefly reengaged in a struggle, while Officer Down ran toward the two of them. Bodden then charged toward Officer Down, who unsuccessfully attempted to deploy his Taser on Bodden. Bodden and Officer Down momentarily engaged physically, before Bodden was able to grab the cord to Officer Down’s radio, ultimately pulling Officer Downs’ radio away from his body. At one point, the cord from Officer Downs’ radio was fully extended while within the grasp of Bodden. During this struggle between Bodden and Officer Down, Sergeant Roberts drew his firearm. Bodden, seeing Sergeant Roberts draw his weapon, stepped towards Sergeant Roberts and appeared to reach for the gun as Sergeant Roberts pulled it away. Officer Down screamed, presumably at Sergeant Roberts, “Get him! Get him!” just before Sergeant Roberts fired his weapon three times, striking Bodden.
After Sergeant Roberts fired the last shot, Officer Down screamed once more, “Get him!” Bodden walked a short distance before falling to the ground. As Sergeant Roberts and Officer Down placed Bodden in handcuffs, Sergeant Roberts’ body-worn camera recorded him stating, “I didn’t want him to hit you, get you. He’s already bit me real bad.” Officers use a knife to cut off his raincoat to find the wounds for treatment. Bodden eventually appears to become non-responsive as additional first responders arrive. In early July, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department announced it would not file criminal charges in Bodden's shooting. The Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office deemed the shooting a justified use of force, noting that the footage appeared to show Bodden reaching for the sergeant's gun during the fight. The officer involved is back to full duty.
