Newton, North Carolina — Eight people have been detained and charged in connection with last weekend’s shootings at a house party in western North Carolina, which resulted in one death and 11 injuries, according to authorities.
The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office announced five defendants’ arrests Thursday or early Friday, and they appeared in court on Friday. Four of the five faced one count of attempted first-degree murder. According to the Catawba County Clerk of Court’s office, a judge has ruled that two of the four stay in custody without bond.
However, late Friday, the sheriff’s office revealed that 10 more counts of attempted first-degree murder had been filed against each of the four who had previously faced one comparable charge. According to an office press statement, all four were imprisoned pending court appearances slated for early next week.
A prosecutor managing the defendants’ appearances in court on Friday stated the shootings were gang-related, and the sheriff’s office agreed, according to press reports.
“Gang motives were a part of this tragedy,” sheriff’s Maj. Aaron Turk told WSOC-TV. “We are still unraveling that as part of our larger investigation.”
According to investigators, the house party in a quiet community about 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) northwest of Charlotte drew a large number of adults and children.
Another defendant apprehended earlier this week has been charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder. The two individuals were charged with assisting underage minors in obtaining alcoholic beverages; the sheriff’s office described them as organizing and promoting the house party.
Authorities said around 80 rounds were fired shortly after midnight on June 1 in a crime scene that included several properties. According to the Catawba sheriff’s office, the shootings began with gunfire from a high place in an adjacent yard, followed by shots surrounding the home, in the front yard, and by a road.
Shawn Patrick Hood, 58, from Lenoir, was slain. He was the oldest of the victims, who were as young as 16, according to the sheriff’s office. According to Turk, the majority of those injured were shot.
As of Friday, no one had been specifically charged with Hood’s death. This week, Turk told reporters that detectives needed to account for every shot fired at partygoers “before we can discern who might be responsible for the homicide.” Agents from the FBI were at the crime scene this week, checking bullet trajectory.
