Police in North Carolina shot and killed a man running toward them Saturday morning - but he may have just been looking for help.

Officers responded to a 911 call of a suspicious man outside a woman's home in Charlotte.

The man had been knocking on her door repeatedly.

Police say that when they got there, a man matching the caller's description ran toward them.

One of the officers pulled out his stun gun, but it malfunctioned. Another officer then opened fire, police said.

Jonathan Ferrell died at the scene. He was shot several times.

He was unarmed.

Police now believe Ferrell was seeking assistance after crashing his car.