[Ed. note: There is video embedded from an eye-witness below, with the family confirming Edilberto Espinoza Sierra’s car appears in it. Viewer discretion advised, as it contains audible gunfire after police chase the car.]
WILMINGTON — Family members and friends of Edilberto Espinoza Sierra gathered at a Market Street parking deck Tuesday morning to call for justice and transparency after their 21-year-old family member was killed in an officer-involved shooting over the weekend.
Genesis Espinoza Sierra stood outside the parking deck where her brother died early Sunday morning. Roughly 20 family and friends held signs — “No mother should bury her son” — and chanted “Justice for Berto.” Genesis Sierra said the family is seeking to hold all involved accountable and will continue to fight to ensure the truth of the encounter is made public.
READ MORE: Suspect killed in officer-involved shooting identified by SBI
“For us, it would be having [law enforcement] presented with the law and be convicted for his murder — it doesn’t need to get spun any other way,” she said. “This is an abuse of power. It’s murder.”
The incident occurred around 3:15 a.m. on March 8 after officers responded to reports of gunfire in the 100 block of Market Street. According to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Edilberto Sierra was identified as a suspect in the initial shooting. Police claimed as they were approaching his vehicle, Edilberto accelerated to flee, prompting officers to discharge their weapons after the suspect’s vehicle hit another car and “narrowly missed officers.”
Two officers from the Wilmington Police Department and one deputy from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office are on paid administrative leave. This is standard procedure during any investigation into a discharge of a weapon by law enforcement.
Two hours after press on Tuesday, March 10, WPD sent out a press release that the department arrested 22-year-old Rafael Martinez of Wallace, who was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury for shooting 26-year-old David Corpus. Corpus sustained serious injuries but is in stable condition.
The chain of events unfolded when WPD Task Force officers and New Hanover County Sheriff’s deputies responded to gunfire and located Corpus with a gunshot wound; he was transported to Novant New Hanover Regional Medical Center with serious injuries and is now in stable condition. Witnesses directed law enforcement toward two cars in the 115 Market Street parking deck — the first one led to multiple people being detained and the second was a possible suspect in the shooting.
Edilberto Sierra’s family dispute the department’s account, saying he was unarmed and not the source of initial shots fired. They say he had been injured in a separate physical altercation, stemming from a personal dispute involving a woman, which took place shortly before police arrived. It’s a factor they think explains why he did not pose an immediate threat. Genesis Sierra contends her brother’s attempt to drive away was a “fight or flight” response, triggered by physical assault he had just endured, rather than an attempt to harm officers or the public.
When officers attempted to make contact with Sierra on the fourth floor of the deck, they say he refused to comply and accelerated his vehicle forward. Wilmington Police Department reported he also struck another vehicle and drove in close proximity to officers. Police considered the move an “imminent threat” due to the danger posed not only to them but nearby civilians; multiple officers discharged their weapons in return.
Family members obtained a video, which shows individuals physically fighting shortly before any shots were fired.
“They had pulled his shirt off and you can see that they had pulled a shirt over him, and were still hitting him, even when he was knocked out,” Genesis Sierra said.
In addition to the prior assault, the family pointed to a second witness video capturing the moment Edilberto Sierra drove away and law enforcement opened fire. Genesis Sierra disputed the police department’s claim that her brother “accelerated” toward officers.
The 30 seconds of footage — obtained by Port City Daily and recorded by a witness who asked to remain anonymous — shows Edilberto Sierra’s vehicle moving slowly while officers tell him to “stop the car.” He then drives around other civilian vehicles attempting to exit the parking deck, leading to officers chasing after Edilberto Sierra’s vehicle. One person can be heard saying “shoot him.”
As the vehicle heads down the parking deck ramp and disappears from the camera’s view, the sound of tires screeching and a subsequent crash is audible immediately before numerous gunshots ring out.
“The car was going no more than 5 miles per hour,” Genesis Sierra said. “You hear him slam on the brakes … and right when he slams on the brakes is when they shoot him.”
Genesis Sierra stated while the family understands Edilberto did not comply with orders to stop as police had instructed, her brother’s lack of cooperation was not an act of aggression.
“Was there any very dire damage to the front of his car? Was his airbag disposed? Was that really such a bad crash for him to be dead, for him to be killed?” the sister questioned.
Wilmington Police Department policy prohibits officers from firing at a moving vehicle solely to stop or disable it. Officers may only use deadly force to thwart serious injury or death to themselves or others.
Genesis Sierra emphasized her brother was not carrying a firearm, referencing a previous incident where he cooperated with officers and surrendered his firearms to the state. According to Duplin County court records, Edilberto Sierra was arrested in October 2025 for discharging a weapon into an occupied vehicle and felony conspiracy. Arrest warrants allege he and another individual fired a rifle and a handgun into a vehicle at a Speedway gas station in Wallace. The prior case is still pending in Duplin County, with an administrative hearing set for December of 2026.
Genesis Sierra also asserts her brother’s previous cooperation with law enforcement showed he was not someone who sought conflict with police.
Beyond the shooting itself, the family expressed deep frustration regarding the lack of official communication following the incident. Genesis Sierra stated neither the Wilmington Police Department nor the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office contacted the family to notify them of her brother’s death. Instead, the family spent Sunday morning searching for answers on their own after hearing rumors and seeing social media reports. They tracked Edilberto Sierra’s phone to the parking garage and were told of the shooting by an officer on the scene.
“Everything that I have found out we have had to fight to find out,” Genesis Sierra said. “[Law enforcement] didn’t tell us when they brought him to the morgue, they didn’t tell us when he died, they didn’t tell us the time of death, they didn’t tell us that the police shot him. We had to find that out from the news.”
Port City Daily asked both Wilmington Police Department and the SBI about the family’s claims regarding notification but did not receive a response as of publication.
The SBI is currently conducting an independent probe into the shooting. Once complete, its findings will be turned over to the district attorney’s office for a final determination on whether the use of lethal force was justified.
As the investigation continues, Genesis Sierra said at the protest the family is still grappling with the immediate shock of their loved one’s death. However, they’re concerned about the need for accountability.
“He’s only been dead for two days, we haven’t even been able to mourn him,” Genesis said. “If there’s not an example made out of people, it will keep happening, and it could happen to anybody, so it could happen to your son, your siblings.”
Have tips or suggestions for Charlie Fossen? Email charlie@localdailymedia.com
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