No charges will be filed against a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who fatally shot a man on his property in Carthage, North Carolina, earlier this year, the Moore County Sheriff’s Office announced on Monday. The incident, which occurred on May 3, resulted in the death of 35-year-old Ramzan Daraev, a Chechen national working as a subcontractor for a utility company.Â
The shooting took place after Daraev was seen taking photographs near the soldier’s home on Dowd Road. According to the sheriff’s office, the homeowner, who was unarmed at the time, initially approached Daraev to inquire about his presence. Daraev reportedly became aggressive, claimed to have served in the Russian military and to have fought in Ukraine, and refused to leave the property. Concerned for his family’s safety, the homeowner retrieved a handgun from his residence. The confrontation escalated, and the homeowner fired multiple shots when Daraev allegedly lunged at him.
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the District Attorney, conducted an investigation, reviewing evidence from the scene, digital records, and witness statements. The conclusion reached was that the homeowner’s actions were justifiable under North Carolina’s Castle Doctrine, which allows the use of defensive force when there is a perceived imminent threat to personal safety on one’s property.
Daraev, who was working as a subcontractor for Utilities One, a New Jersey-based company, was in the area to conduct utility work. However, investigators found no items on his person or in his vehicle indicating his role as a utility worker. The only identification found was an international driver’s license. Despite Daraev’s involvement in legitimate utility work, the lack of proper identification and the unusual timing and manner of his activities contributed to the homeowner’s heightened sense of threat.
The sheriff’s office also highlighted that Daraev had been questioned by a deputy earlier that evening for walking near power poles less than a mile from the incident site. At that time, Daraev provided his international driver’s license and claimed he was conducting utility work, but had no visible identification or attire related to his job.
Given the complexities of the case, all materials were made available to the FBI and the Army Criminal Investigation Division. The Moore County Sheriff’s Office is also cooperating with an OSHA investigation into the safety practices of the subcontractors involved.
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