On Monday, officials from the North County Police Cooperative held a news conference at the Beyond Housing Complex in Pine Lawn to give an update on the police cooperative officer who was shot and killed in Wellston on Sunday, Officer Michael Langsdorf.
The officer was shot inside the Clay’s Wellston Food Market, 6250 Page, after responding to a call about someone trying to pass a bad check around 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
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North County Police Cooperative Major Ron Martin, who introduced himself as a friend of Langsdorf’s while choking back tears, said during the press conference that in the four years the cooperative has been operating, Langsdorf’s is both the first officer-involved shooting and officer death.
Police said that 26-year-old Bonette Kymbrelle Meeks, who has a violent criminal record in North Carolina, had been charged with the shooting death of Langsdorf.
Police said that Langsdorf confronted Meeks, and a struggle ensued inside the store near the counter. With the officer on top of him, Meeks pulled a gun from his waistband and struck Langsdorf in the head. The officer lost hold, and while he was facedown on the ground, Meeks shot him once in the back of the neck. Surveillance cameras captured the incident.
Langsdorf was taken to Barnes-Jewish Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Langsdorf leaves behind a fiancée and two children. BackStoppers is assisting the family.
Meeks ran from the store down Page Avenue. Officers caught him at 1621 Page with the weapon. Martin said that Meeks confessed to the crime on Monday morning.
Meeks has been charged with one count of murder in the first degree, one count of armed criminal action, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, and one count of felony resisting. No bond has been set.
The gun that Meeks used in the shooting wasn’t reported stolen, but police said they were further investigating where it came from.
North County Police Cooperative Chief John Buchannan said during the press conference that Langsdorf, though he had only been on the force for three months, was mentoring other officers on the force.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated from an earlier version.
