By Sarah Nagem
snagem@salisburypost.com
The names of two Salisbury Police officers who shot and killed a robbery suspect early Sunday morning will be released this afternoon, the police chief said this morning.
The officers are scheduled to undergo a psychological stress debriefing at 4 p.m. today, Chief Mark Wilhelm said.
Wilhelm said he will release their names after that debriefing, which will involve a professional evaluating the officers for psychological effects in the aftermath of the shooting.
The Post and an attorney for the N.C. Press Association have objected to Wilhelm withholding the officers’ names, arguing the information is a matter of public record under N.C. law. Wilhelm says he interprets the law differently.
Rowan County Sheriff George Wilhelm and other county officials previously identified Deputy James “Jay” Davis as the third law enforcement officer to fire at the robbery suspect.
Early Sunday morning, the two Salisbury officers and Davis shot and killed Leroy Howard Simmons Jr., a suspect in a robbery at the McDonald’s/Rushco station on Jake Alexander Boulevard.
The State Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigation of the shooting, and its agents have not returned a Post reporter’s calls.
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