From [HERE] and [HERE] A Black man was shot and killed by a white police officer Wednesday afternoon after authorities first responded to a home for a kidnapping call, according to the Gastonia Police Department.

Officers said they were called to a home just after 12:30 p.m. on North Edgemont Avenue off of Highway 74.

Gastonia Police Public Information Officer Rick Goodale said officers got a call saying two kids had been taken by a man who was not supposed to have them. Goodale said they arrived at the home on North Edgemont Avenue but found the two children safe and unharmed inside.

Goodale said that was when they also found the man who was suspected of taking the children nearby. He said the man had “some sort of encounter” on the street with police, and that was when he hit one of the officers with the car he was backing away.

“During the course of the investigation, the suspect was operating a vehicle and struck one of our officers,” Goodale said. The officer is expected to be ok. The car was not going that fast as it backed up into him while the officer was back-peddling. The SBI is investigating the case.

According to Goodale, multiple officers fired their guns, hitting the suspect. It’s too early to know which officer did, he said.

Police said the suspect, who family identified as 21-year-old Jason Lipscomb, died at the scene. Investigators said the officer who was hit had a police escort to the hospital with serious injuries.

Goodale said though the relationship is unclear, everyone involved in the situation knew each other.

Police said they are not looking for any additional suspects in connection to the shooting.

Channel 9′s Ken Lemon spoke to a stepfather at the scene who said he saw police shot and kill his stepson.

“When I started praying, all I hear is gunshots. Nothing but gun shots,” Robert Hamlett said.

Hamlett said he didn’t know what was happening outside his home, and that when he stepped out on the porch, he saw Lipscomb with police around him. 

Other family members heard about the shooting minutes after it happened and also rushed to the scene. One uncle had to be held back because he wanted to cross the police line and see everything for himself. Lipscomb’s mother also came to the police line hoping someone would tell her the news wasn’t true. 

Family members said Lipscomb didn’t have a weapon at the time of the shooting. Goodale said that’s part of the investigation.

As standard procedure for all officer-involved shootings, the State Bureau of Investigation is responding to investigate along with GPD internal affairs.