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Casey Justin Whitman

Gender : Male

Age : 38

Race : White

Date : 08/09/2025

Location : Holiday Inn Express hotel, Woodlake Parkway

City : Kings Mountain

County : Cleveland

State : North Carolina

Agency : Kings Mountain Police Department; Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office; Cleveland County SWAT

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Suicide

Event : Suicide under police duress

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On August 9, 2025, Kings Mountain Police and Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Holiday Inn Express on Woodlake Parkway for a welfare check connected to a missing person report from South Carolina. Officers discovered 38-year-old Casey Justin Whitman armed and barricaded inside a hotel room. Recognizing the immediate danger, command activated the Cleveland County SWAT team for an armed standoff operation.
SWAT operators arrived in armored vehicles, wearing full tactical body armor, helmets, and carrying long guns. They quickly took control of the scene, evacuating nearby hotel rooms and sealing off all approaches to the building. Sniper-observer teams secured elevated positions for constant visual control, while shield-equipped entry units staged at the primary breach point. Tactical teams deployed high-intensity lights into the hallway outside Whitman’s room, creating blinding conditions to dominate the engagement space.
Negotiators maintained nearly eight hours of sustained pressure over loudspeakers and phone, applying relentless psychological pressure to compel surrender. SWAT maintained an aggressive presence with operators visibly armed, rotating positions to keep constant forward pressure on the barricaded room.
At one point, a single gunshot was heard from inside. Command ordered immediate forced breach entry. SWAT advanced under armed cover, forcing the door and entering the room with ballistic shields leading. Whitman was located on the floor with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a firearm positioned close by.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wbtv.com/2025/08/09/law-enforcement-responds-ongoing-situation-kings-mountain-hotel/
https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/individual-pronounced-dead-after-kings-mountain-standoff/6GTYI5UMR5HDZBL6U3OXNTZWEU/