FROM STAFF REPORTS

A Statesville man who was arrested earlier in the week on child pornography charges took his own life in the parking lot of the Statesville Police Department on Sunday.

Officers observed a vehicle with the driver slumped over the steering wheel in the parking lot at 330 S. Tradd Street bout 12:50 p.m. on Sunday, according to an SPD news release. 

Upon entering the vehicle in an effort to make contact with the driver, officers observed that the man was suffering from a gunshot wound to the head that appeared to be self-inflicted, police said.

Iredell County EMS personnel responded to the scene and pronounced the man, later identified as Tracy Allen Knight, deceased, according to the news release.

The initial investigation confirmed that Knight died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

Knight was free on a $50,000 bond after being charged on Friday with three counts of third-degree child exploitation following an investigation by the SPD.

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