From Charlotte.com
Officer seeks body; accidentally runs it over
DANICA COTO
Staff Writer
A Gaston County police officer who was dispatched around 3 a.m. Thursday to investigate a call about a body found along Dallas-Cherryville Highway hit the body, police said.
Its unclear whether the man, who hasnt been identified, was still alive when he was hit, said Capt. Tony Robinson. The victim was declared dead at the scene after being hit by the police car.
Police dont expect preliminary autopsy results until Friday, he said. Officer J.C. May, who was traveling west from Dallas, approached the intersection at Mauney Road and was blinded by a car stopped in the road with its high beams on when he hit the body, Robinson said.
The person in the parked car had made the 911 call, Robinson said, adding that he didnt know whether the person checked on the man and knew whether he was alive at the time.
May is on paid administrative leave, as is procedure, while the N.C. Highway Patrol investigates, Robinson said.