In July, an East Spencer police officer shot and killed a man that Spencer and East Spencer officials said was acting aggressively with a hammer after being involved in a single-vehicle crash. An East Spencer internal investigation cleared the officer to return to duty, but the State Bureau of Investigations is still actively investigating the case, confirmed Public Information Officer Chad Flowers.
On July 8, East Spencer Police Sgt. Tyler A. Lewis was the first officer on scene to a crash in Spencer, where Jesse Duane Soderstrom, 45, was allegedly acting aggressively towards responding firefighters with a hammer. Spencer Police Chief Michael File told the Salisbury Post in July that the incident escalated, resulting in Lewis shooting Soderstrom, who was transported to Rowan Regional Medical Center where he died.
Flowers said that the SBI expects to conclude its investigation within the next few weeks and turn it over to the District Attorney’s Office for review.
