Clarence Belton, the only Black officer on an FBI Safe Streets Task Force during a 2019 drug raid in North Carolina, is seeking justice after he was shot more than 10 times by a white police officer who said she mistook him for the suspect, per Atlanta Black Star.

Belton, then a Gastonia Police Department officer assigned to the FBI task force, was critically injured during the November 2019 raid. The white officer who shot him, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Heather Loveridge, has argued the shooting was a tragic mistake. Belton disputes that claim, saying the evidence, including recently released video, shows otherwise.

Belton survived the shooting but suffered permanent injuries to both arms that ended his law enforcement career. He later filed a civil lawsuit against Loveridge and the Charlotte Police Department, alleging violations of his Fourth Amendment rights as well as negligence, assault and battery, and emotional distress.

According to court records, officers were serving a search warrant at the home of Larry McConneyhead, a Black man suspected of meth trafficking, on November 1, 2019. When McConneyhead fled back into the house, officers entered through an open garage.

While inside, a woman pointed a gun at officers, prompting Belton to fire toward her while shouting “Gun! Gun!” As Belton retreated, he was accidentally struck in the arm by another task force officer. Belton dropped his weapon, fell to the ground, and began crawling toward the garage exit.

That’s when Loveridge fired more than 10 shots at him in a single burst, according to an appellate court ruling. Loveridge later said she believed Belton was McConneyhead.

When someone shouted, “He’s a cop,” Loveridge stopped firing and called for medical assistance. Belton underwent multiple surgeries and was left permanently disabled.

The Charlotte District Attorney declined to file criminal charges, but Loveridge was fired from the department in 2020. Belton filed his lawsuit in 2022.

A lower court initially denied Loveridge qualified immunity, ruling that disputed facts, including lighting conditions and whether she could recognize Belton, required a trial. Loveridge appealed, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit vacated that decision, ordering a more detailed immunity analysis and the release of previously sealed video evidence.

The appellate court ruled that the lower court must determine whether Loveridge had an “objectively reasonable belief” that Belton was the suspect and whether she violated a “clearly established” constitutional right.

Belton’s attorneys argue the shooting was not a mistake, noting that Loveridge had seen Belton earlier and that he was the only Black officer on the six-person team.

“This case is not a case of a mistake,” his lawyers wrote in court filings. “It is a case where Defendant Loveridge could see that Plaintiff was a law enforcement officer before she shot him.”

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