New details released in officer-involved shooting at apartment complex in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - A woman has been arrested on charges of assault after, according to the Wilmington Police Department, she lunged at an officer with a knife. Police say this prompted an officer to shoot their weapon, but nobody was injured.

The WPD writes in a release that they arrived at around 4:40 p.m. on Monday to help the Wilmington Fire Department with a fire alarm activation at the Indy West apartment complex on 3950 Independence Boulevard.

“Upon arrival, a witness stated that they observed a suspicious woman with a butcher knife walking through the building who appeared to be upset. Officers went inside the apartment building to the unit that showed the alarm activation. Upon entry into the apartment, officers located one female that was described by the witness as holding a large serrated knife in her hand. When officers attempted to de-escalate the situation and told her to drop it multiple times, she lunged at an officer with the knife in an aggressive manner,” wrote the WPD.

The WPD says that an officer discharged his “duty weapon,” but nobody was injured. She was taken into custody without incident.

Stacy Rayburn, a 37-year-old from Castle Hayne, was arrested and is held under a $100,000 secured bond. She was charged with:

• Two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official
• Resist/delay/obstruct public officers
• Failure to appear on a misdemeanor.

Police found almost 26 grams of methamphetamine and almost two pounds of marijuana inside the apartment unit and arrested 50-year-old Daniel Edward Wasilas from Wilmington. He is held under a $50,000 secured bond and is charged with:

• Possession with intent to manufacture/sell/distribute schedule VI controlled substance,
• Possession with intent to manufacture/sell/distribute schedule II Controlled Substance,
• Felony Possession of Marijuana,
• Felony Maintain Dwelling Controlled Substance, and
• Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

This is a breaking news update; the original story from Monday, November 7 continues below.

According to the Wilmington Police Department, an officer and a suspect were involved in a shooting at the apartment complex. On the scene, officers had blocked off the building in the center of the complex, though it wasn’t clear what floor of the building the investigation seemed to focus on.

“I didn’t even know if I could get into my apartment, “ said Chris Pallang, who lives at Indy West. “There was an ambulance here and a fire truck earlier as well... I moved into this apartment when I first opened I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The suspect is currently in custody and no one was reported injured. It’s unclear what led to the shooting. WPD provided no further comment at this time.

“My reaction was ‘oh my gosh, is there a fire, and are my dogs alive?’” said Melinda Ruffener, another resident. “This is a safe complex. We moved down here from Ohio five months ago, it shocks me that anything could happen here.”

The incident is currently under investigation by WPD. This story will be updated as more details become available.

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