North Carolina law enforcement outraged over bond for suspect in house party shooting
NEWTON, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina local law enforcement expressed frustration on Wednesday that a man charged in connection with last weekend's shooting around a house party that left one person dead and 11 others injured had been out of jail for unrelated charges lodged against him in April.
Garon Nathaniel Killian, 20, of Lenoir, was arrested Tuesday and accused of one count of attempted first-degree murder related to the shooting in a residential neighborhood about 7 miles (11 kilometers) south of Hickory. Killian remained in the Catawba County jail after a hearing Wednesday before a district court judge who said he could be released awaiting trial if a $200,000 bond was posted. Prosecutors had requested that no bond be allowed, media outlets reported.
Authorities announced at a media briefing later Wednesday that they were seeking to apprehend three additional suspects — one facing a charge of attempted first-degree murder and two facing a charge of helping someone under age 21 possess alcoholic beverages. Killian also is expected to face additional charges, sheriff's Maj. Aaron Turk said.
A previous Hickory Police Department press release said Killian and another young man had been charged with several counts — including attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill — for an April 6 altercation in a parking lot that led to shots being fired into a crowd. No one was injured.
The Charlotte Observer, citing court records, said that Killian had been free on a $100,000 bond. Killian's attorney now and for the April case didn't respond to phone and email messages Wednesday.
Catawba County Sheriff Don Brown told reporters that he was 'outraged' by Wednesday's $200,000 bond.
'I believe he should have never went back on the street after Hickory Police Department charged him with those crimes,' Brown said. 'This is frustrating. It's infuriating.'
Hickory police Chief Reed Baer also expressed similar concerns.
At least 80 shots were fired beginning early Sunday shortly after midnight in a crime scene that spanned several properties along a neighborhood road, authorities said. People reported running, ducking for cover and scrambling to their cars for safety. FBI agents were still at the scene Wednesday working to determine the trajectories of the bullets that were fired.
Shawn Patrick Hood, 58, of Lenoir, was killed in the gunfire. He was the oldest of the victims, who ranged in age from as young as 16, the sheriff's office said. Turk said that most of those injured were shot, but he didn't immediately have information Wednesday on whether any of the injured were still in the hospital.
Turk said the investigation has determined that the shooting began from an elevated area in a yard neighboring the house where the party was happening. Other gunfire then erupted around the home, the home's front yard and by the road.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fleeing suspect drives 7 miles the wrong way on Interstate 84, causes road closures
Multiple roads in the Boise area were blocked off after police attempted to apprehend a suspect who drove for miles on the wrong side of Interstate 84 before fleeing on foot. An Ada County Sheriff's Office deputy attempted to stop a truck at about 10 a.m. Sunday, near the South Seabreeze Way and West Lake Hazel Road intersection in Boise, the sheriff's office said in a news release Sunday afternoon. The sheriff's office said the 43-year-old driver had two active warrants out for failure to appear in court, as well as being connected to an aggravated battery reported last week. The driver refused to pull over, leading the deputy to pursue him along several roads, including Lake Hazel Road, North Orchard Street, West Victory Road, West Gowen Road and ultimately onto I-84, according to the release. Law enforcement said they called off the pursuit because of public safety concerns after the suspect began traveling the wrong way on the interstate, driving west in the eastbound lanes. 'Partnering agencies immediately shut down the eastbound lanes of the interstate,' the sheriff's office said in the release. '(The suspect) continued to drive on the wrong side of the interstate for approximately seven miles.' The suspect, Timothy Steinnon, then drove off I-84 and through a fence near Top Golf at the Eagle Road exit, before abandoning his vehicle near Rolling Hill Drive in Meridian. 'Initial information indicated Steinnon might be armed, prompting a CodeRed alert to residents nearby, advising them to shelter in place,' the sheriff's office said. Law enforcement found the suspect hiding in an outbuilding after the property owner called to report him. The sheriff's office said the Ada County SWAT and crisis negotiation teams responded and, 'after a period of negotiation, Steinnon exited the structure and was taken into custody without further incident.' The sheriff's office confirmed to the Statesman by email that this incident was the reason that the Boise Police Department asked drivers to avoid Overland Road west of Cloverdale Road for more than three hours. In addition to the warrants already out for his arrest, the suspect was arrested on felony charges of fleeing and eluding law enforcement, and misdemeanors for unlawful entry and resisting and obstructing law enforcement. The sheriff's office said the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Police say a man opened fire outside a church before staff fatally shot him, averting mass shooting
A man who opened fire outside a Michigan church filled with worshippers on Sunday was struck by a vehicle and then fatally shot by security staff who averted a potential mass shooting, police said.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Loke: Cable theft a threat to national security, not just ordinary crime
PUTRAJAYA, June 23 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook today said he has asked the police to take firmer action against cable theft incidents along railway tracks. He was responding to concerns raised by Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) over a series of cable thefts at specific locations along the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) route, which spans Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, and Selangor. 'Firstly, MRL will implement mitigation measures to ensure greater safety at the site. However, I have also contacted the Home Minister to request that the police take firmer action on this matter. 'Cable theft is not only happening at the ECRL site. As I have previously revealed, Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) has faced numerous delays due to cable theft, and action will be taken by the police. I have requested that the police take firm action,' he told a press conference at his ministry's headquarters. Loke said cable theft should not be treated as a normal crime, as it poses a threat to national security. 'I have openly called for the police to treat this not merely as a case of theft. This involves public safety, it disrupts public order, and it affects national security. 'Therefore, stricter action under more stringent laws should be taken. That said, I will leave it to the discretion of the police to decide the appropriate course of action, but we cannot treat this as just an ordinary case of theft,' he added. Earlier, national news agency Bernama reported that MRL chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak had raised concerns over a series of cable theft incidents that could disrupt the planning and operational timeline of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project, which is currently in a critical phase ahead of its targeted completion in December 2026. He said the incidents not only raise the cost of repairs and replacements but also risk delaying the train testing and commissioning schedule, which is expected to begin in June 2026. Darwis noted that if CCCC fails to complete the project on time — operations are slated to begin in 2027 — the conglomerate could incur losses of RM1.25 million per day.
