Shelby officer placed on administrative suspension after incident; city gives statement
- Chuck Thompson
- 15 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent
SHELBY – A video circulating social media which shows a police officer using excessive force against a female suspect has caused an uproar across Shelby, which caused the City of Shelby to release statement at 6 p.m., Friday, regarding the event.
In the video, which starts with the altercation already in progress, time stamped approximately 8:07 a.m., Friday, May 29, it shows Cherrie Alana Moore, 34, allegedly not complying with an officer trying to place her under arrest. When she refused to turn around, the officer in question makes a maneuver called a dynamic takedown to subdue the suspect.
However, as the video progresses, the officer repeatedly punches the suspect even after another officer intervenes. “Let go! Let go! I got her! I got her!” proclaims another officer as he attempts to push the officer away, which can be heard on the video.
According to the arrest report the suspect stands 5’5” at 120 lbs.
Originally, Moore was charged Friday, May 29, with allegedly breaking and entering with a $10,000 bond, one count of Resisting Arrest and one count of Assault on a Government Official.
Unverified claims state these charges have since been dropped; but The Shelby Independent could not verify this claim due to lack of credible information at time of publication.
As tension rose across social media, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office released two statements via social media Friday, one at a little after noon, stating they were aware of the video, and Cleveland County Sheriff's Office deputies were not involved.
A second post by CCSO, several hours later, condemned the actions taken by the police officer and offered support of its other fellow law enforcement officers.
“The conduct depicted is deeply concerning and does not reflect the standards expected of any law enforcement professional. Our comments are directed toward the behavior seen in the video alone, not toward the Shelby Police Department as a whole,” the statement read.
“We remain committed to accountability, professionalism, and the respectful treatment of every member of our community,” the statement continued. “We also value our strong working relationship with the Shelby Police Department and recognize the many officers who serve with integrity, courage, and a daily commitment to doing what is right. Those officers deserve our continued support and appreciation. We trust that the appropriate authorities will thoroughly review this incident to ensure transparency and accountability moving forward.”
By late afternoon, protesters had gathered in Uptown Shelby, they moved around from the square, to SPD headquarters, city hall and the courthouse.
Around 5:30, The City of Shelby posted on Facebook that a statement was going to be made at 6 p.m., in regard to the incident involving Moore and The Shelby Police Department.
At 6 p.m., through the sound of crackling audio, Chief of Police Brad Fraser stood at a podium, flanked by Shelby Mayor Stan Anthony behind his right shoulder and City Manager Justin Merritt behind his left.
(Police incident, Chief's comments continued below...)
Fraser was the only one to speak during the brief video, updating the public on the events that transpired and to state that an investigation is underway.
“As Chief of Police of the Shelby Police Department, first, I want to be clear – any use of excessive force is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by myself, the Shelby Police Depart or the City of Shelby. Community trust is the cornerstone of any law enforcement agency. When an incident occurs, it undermines that trust and impacts all of us.
Earlier today, an officer with The Shelby Police Department was conducting a criminal investigation, when they encountered a suspicious female in the area. As seen in the video currently circulating around social media, the actions taken by one of our officers during that encounter are disturbing and inappropriate. A second officer can be seen intervening and stopping those actions. The officer involved in this incident has been placed on administrative suspension while an internal affairs investigation is being conducted by our office of professional standards.
We understand the concerns this incident has caused in our community and want to assure the public that this matter is being taken seriously. The Shelby police Department remains committed to the professionalism, accountability and maintaining the trust of the community that we proudly serve.”
The audio crackled a little bit longer as they all stood in silence before the video cut to the City of Shelby’s logo.
(continued below...)
According to The City of Shelby’s website, the primary function of the Internal Affairs Unit is to investigate complaints of employee misconduct and violations of department policies and procedures. The Internal Affairs Unit ensures that allegations are investigated thoroughly and objectively. In addition, the Internal Affairs Unit reviews and conducts analyses of all use of force and vehicular pursuit incidents to ensure agency policies and procedures were followed. The Internal Affairs Unit reports directly to the Chief of Police.
Although the name of the officer was mentioned multiple times on social media by individual posters, some even threatening to show up at his home, the officer’s name was never officially stated by any official source and therefore is not mentioned in this news story for legal reasons. Verification is required due to potential misidentification.
This is a developing story.
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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.
2026, The Shelby Independent.