Walmart Receipt Used to ID Suspect Who Shot N.C. Police Officer During Struggle

A Walmart receipt, surveillance footage and cellphone data helped connect Dionte Antonio McCracking to the shooting of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer following a struggle over a handgun.

Sept. 11, 2026

2 min read

Add Us On Google

What to Know

New court documents allege the suspect accused of shooting a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer fired at the officer's head during a struggle before striking him in the shoulder and fleeing the scene.
Investigators linked Dionte Antonio McCracking to the shooting using a Walmart receipt, surveillance footage showing him cutting a power line before the encounter, and cellphone location data, according to an affidavit.
After an hourslong standoff ended with his arrest, authorities charged McCracking with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer; records show a lengthy criminal history that includes firearm, burglary, arson and narcotics offenses.

By Jeff A. Chamer

Source The Charlotte Observer

Authorities say a Walmart receipt led them to identify the 28-year-old suspect accused of shooting a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer on Wednesday.

Dionte Antonio McCracking is charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm by a felon. He was arrested Wednesday afternoon following an hours-long standoff at a south Charlotte apartment complex.

McCracking is accused of shooting the officer just after midnight in the 1200 block of Enderly Road, off Freedom Drive northwest of uptown. A police affidavit said an officer was in the area responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle.

McCracking was standing near a vehicle and a damaged power line. He ran from the officer, who eventually tackled him.

A police affidavit says McCracking fired a gun at the officer, attempting to shoot him in the head. The officer and McCracking fought over the gun, and McCracking shot the officer in the right shoulder. He ran toward Tuckaseegee Road after the shooting, the affidavit said.

The officer is stable and expected to make a full recovery, Patterson said.

Officers found a Walmart receipt in McCracking’s vehicle. Surveillance footage showed McCracking, wearing the same clothing, leaving Walmart a couple of hours before the shooting. His phone pinged in the area of the shooting as well, the affidavit said.

“In surveillance footage the suspect and a second subject in the suspect vehicle can be seen cutting a power line with the angle grinder,” the affidavit said.

Two people were also later arrested and questioned, CMPD Chief Estella Patterson said at a news conference Wednesday.

Police tracked McCracking to an apartment along Kings Ridge Drive, between Old Pineville and East Arrowood roads near South Boulevard. Police made multiple call-outs throughout the day encouraging him to cooperate.

McCracking has outstanding burglary charges, Patterson said. Court records show McCracking has criminal charges going back to 2013, including multiple firearm felonies, first-degree arson, possession of illegal narcotics, larceny and breaking and entering.

He was most recently incarcerated in July 2023 for firearm charges and was released in June 2024, according to state Department of Adult Corrections records. He was released and placed on probation until March 2025.

_____________

Visit charlotteobserver.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.