Suspect denied bond after shooting officer in Uptown; victim in ICU

CHARLOTTE — The man who shot a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer in Uptown Sunday was denied bond for his alleged involvement in the incident.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: CMPD officer shot in leg, suspect in custody

Police arrested Demetrius Bristow in connection with the shooting, which occurred while the officer was off-duty and responding to a domestic dispute at North Church and 10th streets Sunday morning, police said.

Bristow appeared in court earlier Monday, when the courtroom proceedings were tense, as Channel 9 reported from the scene.

“I was on my way to get my bike out of the garage and go on a ride, seeing this police presence is unsettling,” Donna Huntley, a witness to the incident, said.

Witnesses reported that they saw Bristow assaulting his girlfriend in a car outside. One witness saw an officer and flagged him down. The officer hasn’t been identified yet, but they were a courtesy officer for the apartment building.

The witness says the officer identified himself to Bristow and tried to calm the situation, but Bristow slapped the officer’s phone away and started assaulting him. Moments later, police say Bristow shot the officer and then ran off.

Apartment resident Savannah Rae said she got home after that.

“It’s scary to come home you see like blood all on the sidewalks,” Rae said.

The CMPD officer is in intensive care following the shooting. CMPD officers put a tourniquet on his leg and rushed him to the hospital in a patrol SUV.

During Bristow’s first appearance in court on Monday, the district attorney’s office said those officers’ actions likely saved the injured officer’s life. The bullet hit his femoral artery, causing him to lose a lot of blood. The officer lost consciousness several times while being rushed to the hospital, and fellow officers performed chest compressions in the back of the SUV to keep him alive.

“As long as I’ve been here, we haven’t experienced something like that,” said resident Kareem Abdul.

“(They) put their lives out there to protect people, and it’s very unfortunate somebody go out there and just do something like that,” Abdul said.

In court on Monday, the DA’s office said the officer has had some complications and is still in the intensive care unit. He’s since had multiple surgeries.

CMPD said on Tuesday the officer remains hospitalized and is in stable condition as he continues to recover.

CMPD: The CMPD officer involved in this incident remains hospitalized and is currently in stable condition as he continues to recover. https://t.co/ZLdaEnanET
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) July 8, 2025