GASTON CO., NC – The Gaston County Police Department says 42-year-old Eric Bianchi died after an officer perceived him to be an imminent deadly threat and shot him. The shooting happened on December 7, 2024. Police were called to a home on Beau Drive for a report of a man stabbing himself. When officers arrived, they say they found Bianchi holding a machete. Officers say they tried several times to verbally de-escalate the situation. The officers say Bianchi wouldn’t listen to commands to drop the weapon and began moving toward them. That’s when one of the officers fired their gun, perceiving an imminent deadly threat. Bianchi died at the scene. According to a news release, the officer who fired his weapon has nine years of service with the department and is assigned to a high-risk specialized unit. The unit is more likely to be dispatched and engage individuals with weapons. The Gaston County Police Department says the officer has been involved in two other incidents where he fired his service weapon within the past nine years. In both of those incidents, the State Bureau of Investigation conducted an independent external review and deemed the use of force justified. The officer who fired his weapon and a second officer at the scene are on administrative leave while external and internal reviews continue.