Statesville man previously arrested on child pornography charges dies from gunshot wound in police parking lot

Knight was arrested on Sept. 24 following an investigation that began in August, according to police
Statesville man previously arrested on child pornography charges dies from gunshot wound in...
Statesville man previously arrested on child pornography charges dies from gunshot wound in police parking lot(Statesville police)
Published: Sep. 26, 2021 at 5:47 PM EDT
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STATESVILLE, N.C. (WBTV) - A Statesville man, who had been arrested on child pornography last week, was found shot to death Sunday afternoon outside the Statesville Police Department.

Police said Tracy Allen Knight was found with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.

He was found with the engine running and his head slumped over the steering wheel in his car in the parking lot of the Statesville Police Department on Tradd Street shortly before 1 p.m.

Knight was arrested on Sept. 24 following an investigation that began in August, according to police. He was charged in connection with child pornography.

Statesville Police Department received a cyber TipLine report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding five files of child pornography on Aug. 2.

Investigator Lane, who is also a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children task force began investigating this case and was able to link the files of child pornography to a Tracy Allen Knight of Euclid Avenue in Statesville.

Statesville Police Department, the State Bureau of Investigations, Mooresville Police Department and ICAC task force members executed a search warrant at Knight’s home on Sept. 24. During the search, “numerous items” of evidence were seized linking Knight to child pornography, according to authorities.

Knight was taken into custody and charged with counts of third-degree child exploitation. He was given a $50,000 secured bond.

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