Police arrested the 28-year-old suspect after an hourslong standoff, while the wounded officer remained stable and was expected to recover.
CHARLOTTE, NC — A 28-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after authorities said he shot a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer who was responding to a suspicious vehicle call early Wednesday in northwest Charlotte.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department detectives identified Dionte Antonio McCracking as the suspect in the Sept. 9 shooting in the 1200 block of Enderly Road. Police said McCracking was arrested Wednesday afternoon following a multi-hour standoff at a residence in the department’s Steele Creek Division. He is charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm by a felon. The allegations against him have not been proven in court.
The incident began at about 12:23 a.m. when CMPD received a call about a suspicious vehicle and two people who were believed to be involved in criminal activity, according to the department. Investigators later determined the vehicle had recently been reported stolen. An officer arrived about five minutes after the initial call and encountered a suspect, police said.
According to CMPD’s preliminary account, the suspect produced a firearm and fired toward the officer, striking the officer. Police said the wounded officer did not fire a service weapon during the encounter. The shooter then fled, setting off an investigation and search that continued for much of Wednesday. The officer was taken to a hospital and was listed in stable condition. Police Chief Estella Patterson later said the officer was expected to make a full recovery. The department had not publicly identified the officer as of Thursday.
Investigators eventually located McCracking at a residence in the Steele Creek area, police said. Authorities said he barricaded himself inside, leading CMPD’s Special Weapons and Tactics Team to respond. Officers evacuated surrounding apartments while tactical officers worked to take him into custody. At about 2:42 p.m., after the standoff had continued for several hours, K9 and SWAT officers arrested McCracking.
Doorbell-camera footage reported by local television stations showed part of the police response near the apartment as officers brought the suspect into custody. The arrest ended a search that began more than 14 hours earlier with the shooting on Enderly Road. Police have not publicly detailed what evidence led investigators from the shooting scene to the Steele Creek residence.
Patterson also credited a person who came to the wounded officer’s aid immediately after the shooting. She said the person remained with the officer until additional police arrived and later cooperated with investigators. Authorities have not publicly identified that person. Patterson said during a news conference that the department had experienced three separate incidents in nine days in which its officers were fired upon.
CMPD said several local, state and federal law enforcement units assisted in the investigation and arrest, including its Homicide Unit, SWAT team, Violent Criminal Apprehension Team, Crime Gun Suppression Team and K9 Unit. The State Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and an ATF violent crimes task force also assisted, according to police.
Police said the investigation remains active. CMPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau is conducting a separate review, which the department described as standard procedure in officer-involved shooting investigations. Authorities have said another person who was in the suspicious vehicle was identified and questioned, but police had not announced additional charges tied to that person as of Thursday.
Author note: Last updated September 10, 2026.