MANTEO, N.C. — Attorneys for the family of Demetrius Selby, who was shot three times by a Dare County sheriff's deputy last October in Manteo, released a statement Friday in response to an autopsy report that claims his death was the result of a stab wound — not the shooting.
The Dare County deputy was responding to a trespassing call when Selby, 44, ran toward the deputy with a knife, prompting the deputy to fire three shots, the sheriff's office says.
After a special prosecutor ruled the deputy's actions were justified as self-defense, Selby's family filed a lawsuit against the deputy and the sheriff.
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Family of man fatally shot by Dare County deputy files suit over his death
An autopsy report of Selby's death, dated Oct. 10, 2023 and reviewed Friday by News 3, states the cause of death was a "stab wound of the anterior left chest." The report says Selby was stabbed by a resident of the home he had allegedly trespassed in.
The autopsy report also lists two gunshot wounds to the torso and recent cocaine and methamphetamine use as "significant conditions."
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Friday, the Selby family attorneys released a statement disputing the autopsy findings.
“The reality is that, even after he had been stabbed, Mr. Selby was coherent enough to follow the deputy’s orders and exit the house. He was coherent enough to speak with them, to respond clearly and put his hands up," the statement from Harry M. Daniels LLC reads. "In fact, Mr Selby was so coherent even after Deputy Glaser shot him once, that he felt the need to shoot him two more times and it was only then that Mr. Selby died laying on the ground choking on his own blood."
The statement goes on to call for the sheriff's office to release the body camera footage of the incident, adding that it would "put this argument to rest right now."
See excerpts from the autopsy report here.
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