Police say an off-duty Rowan County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a man who was trying to rob a Salisbury restaurant Tuesday evening.
The shooting took place shortly after 9 p.m. at the China Buffet, in the 200 block of North Arlington Street, according to Salisbury police.
The name of the man who was killed has not been released, but the Rowan County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that the deputy was John Kempf, 41, who has been with the office since last May.
Investigators say a masked man carrying a shotgun entered the restaurant and tried to rob it. The sheriff's deputy was eating at the restaurant and confronted the robbery suspect, police said.
Police say at some point in the confrontation, the deputy fired at the suspect, hitting him in the upper torso.
The State Bureau of Investigation is handling the case, as is customary with all officer-involved shootings.
The sheriff's office said Kempf works at the county jail and completed law enforcement training in December 2012. The sheriff's office also said state law permits Kempf to carry a firearm on a concealed basis.
Capt. John Sifford of the sheriff's office said evidence "leads our office to conclude that Deputy Kempf acted in a manner consistent with his training and the laws of the State of North Carolina."
However, Sifford said, the District Attorney's office will make a final decision on whether the shooting was justified.
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