Locust man dies weeks after officer-involved shooting stemming from traffic stop in Stanly Co.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The man who was shot by Locust police after allegedly opening fire following a pursuit in May has died, Locust Chief of Police Jeff Shew.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Attempted traffic stop leads to officer-involved shooting in Stanly County, authorities say

According to a previous report, a Locust patrol officer tried to stop a car driven by Michael Angelo Gales, 37, May 31 after seeing multiple traffic violations in the area of North Central Avenue and Bethel Church Road.

The officer pursued the car to the Whispering Hills subdivision where Gales got out of his vehicle. He then reportedly shot at officers, who returned fire and struck him.

Gales was airlifted to Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, where he has remained.

He died weeks later, on June 22.

Shew released the following statement after the announcement:

“Any additional information about the incident that we would disclose, including the identity of the officer involved, will not occur until the completion of the NC SBI’s investigation of the incident which is standard practice per Locust Police Department use of force policy. Also per LPD policy the officer involved remains on administrative leave. Locust police officers are equipped with body cameras, and we will confirm that the camera was activated during the incident. There was an ongoing criminal investigation against Mr. Gales for the incident which has been concluded due to his death.”