Local

911 call recordings released after officer allegedly shoots, kills man in Ranlo

RANLO, N.C. — Channel 9 has obtained 911 call recordings that reveal what happened just after an off-duty police officer allegedly shot and killed a man in Ranlo.

911 calls from Jan. 1 reveal Kwaku Riley Agyapon fired a shot after the victim allegedly stabbed him.

The calls are revealing because of what you don’t hear.

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Investigators said weeks before the shooting, Agyapon went to the house for a domestic call. They said the man living there later learned the officer was texting his wife.

Officers say the two men argued by phone. They said Agyapon drove there, they fought, and then Agyapon fired his service weapon.

Juan Avalo’s wife made the first call to 911 right after the shooting.

Dispatcher: “Gaston County 911, this is Wendy.”

Caller: “I’m sorry we need ... Hello?”

She didn’t say much more.

Arrest warrants say Agyapon took the phone from her and explained he had been stabbed and was trying to protect the family at the home.

Caller: “I’m trying to get the kids out of the residence right now.”

Dispatcher: “OK.”

Caller: “I’ve been stabbed twice, about four or five times already.”

He doesn’t mention a few things Channel 9′s Ken Lemon found in search warrants, including:

  • Agyapon reportedly parked in the driveway, blocking Avalo’s path out.
  • Avalo’s wife said she repeatedly yelled asking the officer to leave.
  • The men eventually had a fight.

Caller: “I’ve been stabbed about nine or 10 times already.”

In the redacted 911 call, Agyapon also doesn’t mention that he is an off-duty Ranlo officer who had just fired his service weapon five times.

In court earlier this year, the district attorney said after the stabbing, Avalo dropped the knife and ran. Then, Agyapon shot him from at least 75 feet away.

“We believe there was no risk or threat of imminent harm,” DA Travis Page said.

He said Avalo likely fell immediately when one shot hit him in the head.

Dispatcher: “Is he still nearby?”

Caller: “He’s somewhere, either he is within the residence, or he ran into the wood line that’s behind the residence.”

The State Bureau of Investigation is still investigating the shooting.

Agyapon was moved from the Gaston County jail to the one in Cleveland County for his own safety while he waits for his trial.

(WATCH BELOW: Town manager: Ranlo officer accused of murder previously charged in school bus confrontation)