Story highlights
Bryon Vassey was given until Wednesday to surrender
In the past, he has claimed the Keith Vidal was a danger to other officers
Vidal killed January 5 after a 911 call said he was having an episode
The North Carolina detective who shot and killed a mentally ill teenager has been indicted by a grand jury on one count of voluntary manslaughter, the Brunswick County District Attorney’s office said in a news release.
Bryon Vassey of the Southport Police Department was given until noon Wednesday to surrender. A judge set bail Monday night at $50,000.
“After I reviewed the case I found that a crime almost certainly did take place,” District Attorney Jon David told reporters Tuesday. “It was a ‘bad shoot.’ A grand jury has agreed.”
CNN affiliate WECT reported that an attorney for Vassey indicated he planned to issue a statement on Tuesday or Wednesday. Last month, Vassey, through his lawyer W. James Payne, claimed to CNN that he feared one of the other responding officers was in danger.
Keith Vidal, 18, was killed January 5 at his family’s home in the eastern North Carolina town of Boiling Springs Lakes. Three law enforcement officers from three different agencies answered a 911 call asking for police to help in dealing with a schizophrenic man armed with a screwdriver and asking to fight his mother.
Family members said the first two were able to calm the situation, but things quickly devolved after Vassey arrived. Within a few minutes, Vidal was dead.
None of the officers was injured in the incident.
CNN first learned of the shooting through an iReport sent by a family friend.