Black Nurse Alleges She Was Held At Gunpoint After Wrong Turn — Former Officer Urges Reinvestigation

Kandice Robinson, a Black visiting nurse, says a routine wrong turn on November 23, 2018, escalated into a terrifying encounter when an off-duty Matthews police officer and his wife allegedly pointed guns at her and ordered her not to move.

What Robinson Says Happened

Robinson, who was en route to an overnight nursing shift at an elderly client’s home in Mint Hill, North Carolina, says she stopped to ask an elderly woman for directions and was given permission to use a driveway to turn around. Robinson later learned the woman was the grandmother of Matthews officer Nick Helms.

As she began to turn her vehicle, Robinson alleges that Officer Helms and his wife, Samantha, came outside carrying firearms. "They both had their guns pointed in my face," Robinson recalled. She said she repeatedly told them she was a nurse looking for a patient, and that she was wearing scrubs, but Helms allegedly replied, "I don't believe you."

Robinson says Helms ordered her to keep both hands on the steering wheel and warned, "If you move one more time, I'm going to shoot you in your face." She says the couple held her in place for roughly 15 minutes before allowing her to leave.

Investigation, Denials and Renewed Scrutiny

Mint Hill police say officers responded in 2018 to a report of a suspicious vehicle and interviewed Robinson, Helms and his wife. The Helmses denied Robinson's account; no arrests were made and Helms was not publicly identified at the time because no charges were filed.

The episode has resurfaced after former Matthews officer Tyler Ross began asking why prosecutors did not pursue charges. Ross argues that holding Robinson at gunpoint inside her car and preventing her from leaving could meet North Carolina's kidnapping statute, which covers unlawful confinement and includes terrorizing a victim as a qualifying purpose. Prosecutors reportedly told Ross they believed they could not prove the required intent.

Aftermath

Robinson says she only learned Helms' identity this year after Ross reopened inquiries. Helms is now listed as a sergeant with the Matthews Police Department. Robinson told reporters the original inquiry felt inadequate and that the incident left her shaken for years: "It was very hard for me to sleep for years."

Context

The case raises broader questions about the exercise of authority by off-duty officers, how investigations are handled when law enforcement is involved, and how victims — particularly people of color — are protected when encounters turn confrontational.

Source: Account reported by Atlanta Black Star and subsequent reporting on renewed inquiries into the 2018 incident.