Thursday, February 13, 2025

Wilmington man indicted for CB officer-involved shooting

Robert Travis Fitts, 41, was indicted after his involvement with a July 2 officer-involved shooting. (Port City Daily/File)

WILMINGTON — Early in July, a man was sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after opening fire on two Carolina Beach officers. While the officers were cleared of any wronging doing by the State Bureau of Investigation, 41-year-old Robert Travis Fitts was indicted Monday.

On July 2, Carolina Beach Police Department officers, Chris Cole and Sam Smith, were attempting to serve warrants on Fitts for felony flee to allude arrest, resisting public officer and driving with a revoked license. After arriving at the Dolphin Lane Motel, the officers encountered Fitts and shot multiple times.

READ MORE: Man identified in Carolina Beach officer-involved shooting

As there are still pending criminal charges on Fitts for his involvement with law enforcement, no further information has been released about the incident.

The officers were placed on administrative leave during the SBI’s investigation.

“I would like to thank the NC State Bureau of Investigation for their timely response and due diligence in investigating this incident,” Carolina Beach Police Department Chief of Police Vic Ward said in a press release. “Our officers are tasked with putting their lives at risk daily and I’m thankful that no members of the department or the general public were injured during this incident.”

Fitts was indicted by a New Hanover County Grand Jury for assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a firearm by a felon and attaining the status of a habitual felon.

Previous arrest records show Fitts has been charged with a litany of drug infractions, both felonies and misdemeanors. The last took place in March 2021 at a Market Street motel and included possession of a controlled substance with the intent to manufacture, sell or deliver, among other charges.

His case will appear on the administrative calendar in October.


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