Almost 14 months after Lawrence Artis, a 29-year-old Black man, was fatally shot in the head while in police custody in Fayetteville, the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has ruled his death a suicide.
Artis was arrested on Oct. 2, 2023, by Fayetteville police officers for illegal possession of a firearm as a felon. Following his arrest, handcuffed and with his hands behind his back, Artis allegedly pulled a second gun from his pants pocket and shot himself in the head.
The autopsy and death investigation were signed off on by the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Nov. 25. A representative of the N.C. OCME told CityView the delay was caused by staffing shortages at the office.
“Based on the autopsy findings and circumstances surrounding the death, as currently understood, the cause of death is listed as gunshot wound of the head,” the autopsy report states. “The manner of death is classified as suicide.”
The police department also put out a press release on Monday announcing the results of the investigation, which aligned with FPD’s initial statements that Artis shot himself.
The autopsy adds several details to the case that were not in the police’s initial statement about the incident. According to the autopsy, Artis was “very anxious when first stopped and handcuffed.” He was initially going to be “let go with a warning” after police confiscated the first gun, and he was placed in the back of the police car as they planned to take him home, which “seemed to calm him substantially.” Upon running his name through the database, however, police discovered Artis had a felony and took him out of the car to arrest him for possession of a firearm as a felon, the report states.
The report mentions reviewing police body camera footage to make the determination, but states the footage is equivocal in the report.
“No camera had a clear and unobstructed view of the entire event,” it states, “but one angle did briefly show Mr. Artis angling the right side of his own head downward toward the gun muzzle, consistent with the trajectory observed.”
Artis’ death sparked outrage among local activists, who have questioned the plausibility that Artis would have been able to shoot himself while he was handcuffed with his hands behind his back. Activists have also expressed concern that Artis interacted with the police because ShotSpotter, a controversial gunshot detection technology that claims to be able to detect gunshots using remote sensors, had pinged his location.
Local grassroots advocacy group Fayetteville Freedom for All criticized the delayed release of the documents and the lack of detailed information provided by the police department following the investigation.
“We find it completely unacceptable that it has taken over a year for the Artis family and the public to receive the autopsy results for such a highly suspicious incident,” the group said in a statement provided to CityView. “The public still has not received any detailed information about the Fayetteville Police Department’s internal investigation or its findings. It’s hard not to compare and contrast the transparency the public received regarding the K-9 incident earlier this year to the loss of human life.”
The K-9 incident involved a Fayetteville police officer who was filmed hitting his K-9 multiple times. The FPD released several statements about the incident, including the results of its internal investigation into it.
In September 2023, immediately following the incident involving Artis, his case was referred to the State Bureau of Investigations. In a July email shared with CityView, Cumberland County’s District Attorney Billy West confirmed that the SBI completed the investigation and his office did not pursue charges against the officers involved. The city council had initially expressed interest in seeking police body camera footage of the incident after it happened, but did not follow through.
According to the autopsy:
- Artis was shot at “suspected intermediate range.” The range is a measure of the distance of a gunshot upon entrance. According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, intermediate range is anywhere from half an inch to four feet away.
- The bullet entered through his right cheek and exited through his upper left forehead.
- There were abrasions on Artis’ wrists that “may be consistent with a mark from handcuffs.”
- After being shot, Artis “declined over the next 4 days despite medical intervention” and was pronounced dead on Oct. 6.
Unanswered questions
The circumstances surrounding Artis’ fatal injury in FPD custody have been described differently, and sometimes inconsistently, in the police’s initial statements about the incident, the autopsy report and the death investigation.
Both the autopsy and death investigation are dated Oct. 9, 2023, but there are some discrepancies between them centering around the moments leading up to the fatal shot. Three main differences revolve around Artis’ emotional state, whether or not police redirected the gun Artis pulled from his pants and the position of the gun.
According to the death investigation — which cites “reports” — Artis had become “combative” upon being informed he would be arrested, at which time he pulled out the concealed gun. Artis then pointed the gun at officers, the investigation states, and an officer intervened by pushing the gun away when Artis pulled it out of his clothing.
“At some point he produced a second firearm which was hidden somewhere in his clothing, and pointed it at officers,” the investigation states. “A nearby officer quickly pushed the gun away, which then was apparently directed toward Mr. Artis’ head when it fired.”
The autopsy report — conducted on the same day as the death investigation — describes Artis as being “nervous,” rather than combative, upon being informed he would be arrested.
Despite “initial reports” referred to in the autopsy suggesting police deflected the gun, the autopsy examiner, after reviewing body camera footage, reached a different conclusion.
“Both officers nearest to Mr. Artis at the time seemed to notice him pulling something from his pocket at the last moment and attempted to stop him by reaching to deflect his arms downward and away, but they were unfortunately not in time to redirect the gun,” the autopsy states.
“Notably, initial reports were that at least one officer got a hand on the gun and actively deflected it (perhaps out of concern he was trying to aim at an officer), however on my viewing of the video footage, this did not seem to be the case, largely because of the speed with which Mr. Artis jerked the gun upward and fired.”
It is unclear where the conflicting “reports” referenced in the death investigation and “initial reports” in the autopsy originate, given the same date appears on the autopsy and investigation.
The police department’s account does not mention anything about Artis’ demeanor prior to his alleged suicide, nor does it mention that Artis was taken out of the police car after police discovered he had a felony conviction (and therefore could not legally possess a firearm), or the manner in which he shot himself.
Another question unanswered in the death investigation: the caliber of the gun. Despite the means of death being described as a handgun, the caliber is marked as unknown in the death investigation. It is unclear why the medical examiner was unable to determine the caliber of the gun, which was recovered from police following Artis’ alleged suicide.
Fayetteville Freedom for All encouraged city officials to release a Sentinel Event Review about the incident. While FPD conducted an internal investigation in the Artis case, a Sentinel Event Review is a different process where organizations and communities analyze serious negative events to understand their causes and develop preventative recommendations.
“The City of Fayetteville has an opportunity to implement sound policy that addresses a chronically problematic lack of transparency and accountability following police homicides and deaths of residents in police custody,” the group stated. “In the wake of this tragedy we urge Mayor Mitch Colvin and the City Council to release a Sentinel Event Review (SER).”
The group’s statement continues by mentioning the case of Jada Johnson, who was shot and killed in her house by FPD in 2022. Josh Stein, then the N.C. attorney general, formally recommended in 2023 an SER take place and be released to the public. Despite the current governor-elect’s recommendation, the SER has not been conducted at this time.
“We also urge the City Council to develop and implement a policy that makes conduct of a SER mandatory anytime a Fayetteville resident dies or is seriously injured while in FPD custody,” the group wrote.
The council did vote to establish an SER in June, but has not utilized the process yet.
Artis’ family did not respond to requests for comment from CityView. Forensic pathologists have also not responded to requests to analyze the autopsy and investigation. This article will be updated as new information becomes available.
Contact Evey Weisblat at eweisblat@cityviewnc.com or 216-527-3608. This story was made possible by donations from readers like you to CityView News Fund, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to an informed democracy in Fayetteville and Cumberland County.
The Artis “suicide” just does not seem plausible. And what about the k9 being punched many times by his partner?