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Nasanto Antonio “Duke” Crenshaw

Age : 17

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 08/21/2022

Location : 4900 block of West Market Street

City : Greensboro

County : Guilford

State : North Carolina

Agency : Greensboro Police Department

Officer(s) :Matthew Lewis Sletten

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during traffic stop

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/21/2022, Greensboro Police Department Corporal Matthew Lewis Sletten shot and killed 17-year-old Nasanto Antonio “Duke” Crenshaw during a traffic stop in the 4900 block of West Market Street. Crenshaw was unarmed and was driving a white 2018 Nissan Altima containing several other teenagers.
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At approximately 9:08 p.m., Sletten initiated the traffic stop after observing what police described as a traffic violation. Crenshaw turned into the parking lot of a shopping center at 4929 West Market Street. After Sletten activated his emergency lights, Crenshaw continued slowly through the parking lot before stopping. Dispatch subsequently informed Sletten that the Nissan had been reported stolen in Fayetteville.
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The circumstances surrounding the stolen-vehicle report were disputed. Police treated the Nissan as stolen. Crenshaw’s mother, Wakita Doriety, said the vehicle had been loaned to her son and that it was reported stolen after he failed to return it when expected. The woman who reported the vehicle stolen maintained that Crenshaw did not have permission to take it.
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When Sletten got out of his patrol car and approached the Nissan during the first stop, Crenshaw drove away. Sletten located the Nissan again at a dead end within the shopping-center parking lot. Several teenage passengers got out and ran away while Crenshaw remained behind the wheel.
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Police alleged that Crenshaw backed the Nissan into Sletten’s patrol vehicle and then accelerated toward Sletten. Sletten fired three rounds into the Nissan. One round entered through the windshield while other gunfire entered through the passenger side of the vehicle. Crenshaw was struck in the neck and subsequently died.
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The exact position and direction of the Nissan when Sletten fired became the central dispute in the case. Guilford County District Attorney Avery Crump concluded from the video that Crenshaw accelerated toward Sletten, placing the officer in danger. Crenshaw’s family disputed that account, arguing that video showed the Nissan’s wheels turned away from Sletten and that Sletten was no longer in the vehicle’s path as he continued firing.
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The family also emphasized that Crenshaw was unarmed. Doriety questioned why police used gunfire rather than allowing the vehicle to leave and apprehending Crenshaw later or using other tactics. The shooting also endangered another teenager who remained inside the Nissan when Sletten fired.
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In March 2023, Guilford County District Attorney Avery Crump announced that Sletten would not face criminal charges. Crump concluded that Sletten reasonably believed he faced an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury and determined that the shooting was legally justified.
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Greensboro subsequently released extensive body-worn-camera and dashboard-camera footage in April 2023. Crenshaw’s family maintained after viewing the recordings that the footage contradicted the conclusion that Sletten needed to shoot Crenshaw to protect himself.
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Doriety, acting as administrator of her son’s estate, filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against Sletten and the City of Greensboro. The lawsuit alleged excessive force and wrongful death and argued that Sletten was not actually in the Nissan’s path when he fired the fatal shots. A federal district court initially dismissed the claims, finding that the video established that Crenshaw drove toward Sletten.
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On 07/29/2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed the dismissal of key claims against Sletten. After independently reviewing the video, the three-judge appellate panel concluded that the recording did not conclusively establish that the Nissan was traveling directly toward Sletten when he fired. The court held that the excessive-force and related claims against Sletten could proceed, while affirming dismissal of the claims against the City of Greensboro.
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The Fourth Circuit specifically noted that the video showed one bullet striking the front windshield and additional rounds entering through the passenger-side window, circumstances relevant to determining the Nissan’s direction relative to Sletten as he continued firing. The appellate ruling returned the claims against Sletten to federal district court for further proceedings.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
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Matthew Lewis Sletten was a corporal with the Greensboro Police Department when he killed Crenshaw. Sletten conducted the original traffic stop and fired all three rounds during the fatal encounter. He was placed on administrative duty following the shooting.
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The criminal investigation resulted in no charges against Sletten, but the subsequent federal civil-rights litigation produced a substantially different judicial assessment of the video evidence. In 2024, the Fourth Circuit ruled that the footage did not conclusively support the finding that Crenshaw was driving directly at Sletten, allowing the excessive-force and wrongful-death litigation against him to continue.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article264759779.html
https://www.wxii12.com/article/hope-mills-teen-killed-by-greensboro-police-officer-during-traffic-stop-family-says-and-not-stolen-car/41044092
https://www.wral.com/i-wont-get-another-hug-tearful-mother-speaks-after-teen-shot-killed-by-greensboro-police-officer-during-traffic-stop/20440874/
https://www.wisemanfuneralhome.com/obituary/Nasanto-Crenshaw
https://www.wxii12.com/article/north-carolina-police-officer-criminally-cleared-deadly-shooting/43471334
https://www.wxii12.com/article/family-attorney-of-teen-shot-and-killed-by-greensboro-officer-last-summer-react-to-body-camera-release/43701163
https://www.wfae.org/crime-justice/2024-07-31/appeals-court-reverses-dismissal-of-lawsuit-in-greensboro-police-shooting
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca4/23-1867/23-1867-2024-07-29.html