Police say Shane Williams Sims, with a long gun, was fatally shot by a Winston-Salem police officer after threatening to kill police.
Winston-Salem Police Department Press Release Re: Shane Williams Sims Shooting
***UPDATE on Officer Involved Shooting on January 20th, 2024***
At approximately 3:26pm, Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) Officers responded to 2805 Teresa Avenue in reference to a larceny call for service. Upon arrival, Officers determined a neighbor residing at 2808 Teresa Avenue, identified as Shane William Sims a 33-year-old white male, had stolen property from the neighbor residing at 2805 Teresa Avenue. Officers attempted to contact Mr. Sims at his residence when he threatened Officers by stating he would kill the police. As the investigation continued, it was determined Mr. Sims had additional warrants for arrest for unrelated incidents.
Due to the threats communicated by Mr. Sims, the knowledge of weapons in the house, and Mr. Sims’s outstanding warrants for arrests from unrelated incidents, Officers obtained additional warrants for arrest and dispatched our Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT).
While Officers were surrounding the residence attempting to de-escalate the situation through verbal commands, Mr. Sims came out with a long gun multiple times unwilling to speak with Officers and resolve the situation peacefully. Mr. Sims came out of the residence, again, disregarding verbal commands and aimed the rifle directly at Officers, at which, One (1) Officer fired and struck the suspect. Forsyth County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) rendered aid to Mr. Sims on the scene, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries. No Officers were injured as a result of this incident. The Officer Involved Shooting occurred at 5:54pm.
Mr. Sims’ unrelated outstanding warrants for arrest include felony Breaking and Entering, and misdemeanor Communicating Threats. There were two (2) additional individuals, that were not injured, who were on the scene when this incident occurred.
In our continued commitment to transparency, we have invited the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) to independently investigate this incident. We will fully cooperate and assist throughout the course of the investigation. We will also complete an internal administrative investigation through our Professional Standards Division, as we do on every use-of-force incident, to ensure policy and procedure were followed.
At this time, we will not be releasing the identity of the Officer involved in this shooting. The Officer has been placed on administrative leave; this is our standard procedure. The Officer will be cooperating with the investigations during the administrative leave period. We will also be utilizing resources to meet the Officer’s emotional and mental health needs. It is no small thing to take another’s life, even if it is to ultimately protect others from harm.