Holly Springs police shoot 23-year-old man outside Target while business was closed

HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. (WTVD) -- A 23-year-old man was taken to the hospital after being shot by Holly Springs police officers in a Target parking lot after the store closed.

Holly Springs Police Department said employees inside the closed store called police when they noticed a man acting suspiciously outside the main entrance around 3:45 a.m.

The store is located in the Holly Springs Towne Center near the intersection of New Hill Road and NC-55.

Two uniformed officers arrived in a marked car and approached the man. They said he then reached inside his clothes and pulled out a handgun. Both officers opened fire.

The man, identified as Tripp Walker Scheckells, was shot and injured.

His mother tells ABC11 he was injured in the lower back. She said she tried to see her son at WakeMed today but officers would not let her into his room.

The officers, identified as Cozy Jackson and Anthony Minchella, performed emergency medical aid until additional first responders arrived and rushed Scheckells to a hospital. The extent and severity of his injuries have not been released.

Holly Springs Police Department later learned Scheckells had been arrested on April 2 by Wake County deputies for carrying a concealed gun.

Officer Jackson has been with the Holly Springs Police Department since January. Before that, he served 2.5 years with another North Carolina law enforcement agency.

Cpl. Minchella has been with the Holly Springs Police Department since August 2014.

Neither officer was injured. Both were placed on administrative leave in accordance with standard policy. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is now in charge of the case.

"We are committed to cooperating with a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the circumstances of the shooting. We understand the impact of such incidents on our community and are dedicated to maintaining the trust and safety of Holly Springs residents," said Holly Springs Chief of Police, Paul J. Liquorie.

According to Holly Springs 2023 Annual Report, violent crime levels in the town are 13 times lower than the state average and 12 times lower than the national average.

There hasn't been a murder in Holly Springs since 2020. Of the 600 arrests police in Holly Springs made last year, force was only used four percent of the time.