Heather Loveridge, a white officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, mistook Clarence Belton, a Black FBI task force member, for a suspect during a drug raid in Charlotte, NC. Belton was participating in a meth trafficking operation as the only Black officer involved. Loveridge shot Belton more than ten times, believing he was the suspect.
The shooting occurred in the early hours of November 1, 2019. Four FBI Safe Streets Task Force officers and two Gastonia police officers arrived to serve a search warrant on Larry McConneyhead, suspected of meth trafficking.
Task force members identified the suspect, Larry McConneyhead, as he left his house with garbage. When ordered to stop, Larry fled inside, prompting forced entry. Inside, officers confronted a woman pointing a gun at them.
Chaos erupted as Clarence Belton had to fire a few shots towards the woman with the gun. He then simultaneously began to retreat and take a few steps back when he was accidentally struck in the hand by fellow officer Joshua Hendrick. The latter was standing right behind Belton and was also taking an aim at the woman when they collided. The Black cop dropped his gun and fell on the ground as a result of being struck in the arm.
At this moment, Clarence decided to crawl out of the house to safety through the garage door, ensuring he would not come in the way of any of his fellow teammates again. Unfortunately, it was then that Heather Loveridge fired her gun more than 10 times at Belton, mistaking him for the prime suspect Larry McConneyhead.
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The court document recording the incident mentions the moment as “In a single burst, she fired over 10 shots in Belton’s direction in the course of a few seconds. When someone yelled, ‘He’s a cop,’ Officer Loveridge immediately stopped firing. She then called on her radio, ’10-33, officer down, we need MEDIC now,’ and attempted to provide aid to TFO Belton while waiting for the arrival of the medics.”
Loveridge’s uncontrolled rounds of shots injured Belton heavily after suffering major injuries requiring surgery in his arms. Unfortunately, the nature of these wounds was so severe that it prevented him from continuing in police service again. Nonetheless, Clarence filed his first lawsuit against Loveridge and the Charlotte Police Department in 2022. He accused them of violating his Fourth Amendment Rights, negligence, assault and battery, along with negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Surprisingly, Loveridge attempted to dismiss the claim on grounds of qualified immunity. She claimed to have made a mistake by shooting at Belton after having mistaken him for the suspect. The victim, on the other hand, denied the plea, suggesting that Heather had already seen him minutes before the raid began. Belton’s attorneys mentioned, “This case is not a case of a mistake; it is a case where Defendant Loveridge could see that Plaintiff was a law enforcement officer before she shot him.”
With more than six years having passed since the incident, the verdict on whether Loveridge should be awarded immunity is still in debate, as per the courts. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth District also ordered the release of the video from the scene of the crime.
Reacting to the duplicity of the case, Civil Rights Attorney Lee Merritt noted, “This is not just a tragic mistake. It is a training failure. When officers lack the quality, quantity and frequency needed to make quick second identifications under pressure, catastrophic errors become inevitable.”
