On March 26, 2023, police in Gastonia, North Carolina, responded at about 5:05 a.m. to a domestic disturbance in the 300 block of Osceola Street involving 58-year-old Calvin Black allegedly assaulting a 57-year-old woman outside the home. Officers encountered Black inside the residence with a handgun; two officers fired and fatally wounded Black. Inside the house they found 61-year-old Clifford Barton Scoggin with gunshot wounds. Preliminary investigation indicates Black shot Scoggin before officers arrived. Scoggin was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and died on April 3, 2023. The female victim received on-scene treatment for non-life-threatening injuries; no officers were hurt.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Gastonia Police Department opened inquiries into the officer-involved shooting, and the involved officers were placed on administrative leave. Scoggin’s family described him as recently released from prison and trying to rebuild his life; his son Dustin said he held his father’s hand as he died. Neighbors voiced broader concerns about violence in the area. If anyone knew Clifford Scoggin or has information about the events that morning, please share what you know.