Witnesses say Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Beat Wounded, Handcuffed Black Man after Chase

From [HERE] and [HERE] CHARLOTTE, N.C. --  Sharon Allen can't sleep. The images of Sunday morning keep haunting her.

"They were beating, kicking him," she said. "The gun was nowhere. He was laying in a ditch. And three cops were basically beating the crap out of him for five or seven minutes, maybe more," Allen said.

20-year-old Malcolm Xavier Springs is the man police allegedly beat. Minutes before the alleged incident, police say Springs shot officer Brent Harrison. Harrison was released from the hospital Sunday evening.

Allen says she understands why police were angry.

"Yes I do. But what can you do if a person is handcuffed and shot and they're basically laying in a ditch?" She says there were three officers beating Springs. "There was an officer sitting here with his dog watching. I can't recall anyone saying anything or any cop trying to stop it," she said.

Debra Walls is Springs' mother. "I just want justice for both sides," she said from her Kannapolis home. She's angry she hasn't been able to see her son and wants answers from police. "I know there were tensions that were high, but that's what they're trained to do. That's their job," she said.

Right now their job is being reviewed by Internal Affairs, standard procedure when a police officer is shot or there are accusations of misconduct by officers.

"I feel like the truth must come out. There must be justice for both sides. I just want justice," said Walls.

"That's just awful," said Springs' brother Trenton Graham. He said he understands what his brother did is wrong, but says, "it still doesn't give them the right to beat him."

Police say Malcolm Xavier Springs shot a man during the robbery on West Trade Street. Later, as pursuing officers closed in, they say he shot an officer in the leg and was wounded himself.

Investigators are looking into allegations by neighbors that arresting officers used excessive force after subduing Springs.

"In an effort to preserve the trust and confidence of the community, the CMPD investigates all accusations of officer misconduct," the department said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

The officer was treated and released. Springs was taken to Carolinas Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. His condition improved, and he was taken to Mecklenburg jail Tuesday evening.