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Sheriff: Brothers, 3 and 4, were shot multiple times by father

By Trish Williford
By Trish Williford

IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — The Iredell County Sheriff's Office is investigating after officials said a man killed his two young sons early Sunday morning before turning the gun on himself.

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Sheriff Darren Campbell said 31-year-old Shawn Fuller shot his two sons -- 4-year-old Uriah Fuller and 3-year-old Josiah Fuller -- multiple times before attempting suicide. He was flown to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Authorities were called to a home on Trent Road, just east of Statesville, around 3:30 a.m. Investigators originally told Channel 9 that they were responding to a domestic violence call.

Investigators said Fuller's brother called 911 before the shooting and said Fuller was intoxicated and flashing a gun.

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When deputies arrived they found Fuller outside the front door suffering from that apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Campbell said Fuller had been drinking and got into an altercation with the boys' mother. She fled the house, and that's when the sheriff said Fuller shot the two boys.

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Deputies said they found the brothers in the living room.

“I've dealt with these kind of cases, but any time you see an innocent person -- especially a child -- in such a violent way...to end up like this on a Sunday morning is tragic in every sense of the word,” said Campbell.

Neighbors are in shock and told Channel 9 they watched the brothers play on their tire swing Saturday.

Autopsies are being conducted Monday but preliminary results are that the brothers dies of multiple gunshot wounds.

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Authorites said they have located a witness who was on the phone with Fuller at the time of the shooting. According to officials, Fuller told that witness over the phone that he had killed his kids and would kill law enforcement.

Investigators said Monday that it appeared the children were shot before the first 911 call was made.

Officials also said the Fuller family had lived in North Carolina for about four years.

Investigators said Fuller found his wife's gun, which had been hidden in the house, and used it to kill the boys.

The sheriff's office is drawing murder warrants and if Fuller survives his injuries he will be served and placed in custody.

Deputies had been called to the home one other time for a domestic related call, in May of this year.

In 1998, Fuller faced multiple charges including assault for an alleged physical altercation with his mother and little brother.

The narrative in the report stated "Accused punched his mother in the face, knocking her to the ground then grabbed a belt and struck his mother several times."

In the three years the family has lived in North Carolina, Sheriff Darren Campbell said Fuller maintained a clean record and no one here saw this coming.

“No matter how big of a city, county, or state, something like this is going to pull on the heartstrings of everyone. It’s something you don't see and something no one should have to see," Campbell said.

Friend saw Fuller recently: 'He just put off weird vibes'

Joshua Gregory, his girlfriend Maggie, and their daughter Camille were good friends with the Fuller family.

He said up until three weeks ago when he said Fuller began acting strangely.

“He just put off weird vibes like he was just out there I guess you can say," Gregory said.

Gregory said the families met at The Cove Church in Statesville and he said they often hung out together at the Fuller home.

His daughter Camille loved Uriah and Josiah.

The family was getting dressed for church Sunday morning when they heard the boys had been shot.

"They were great boys. If he would've called me I would've went and got them at 3 am. I couldn't believe it,” Gregory said.

Kelli Simko was out shopping in Statesville on Saturday evening when she said a man with a gun on his hip, walked in a store with two young boys.

"Being in a retail shop, anyone with a gun on his hip is going to make you uneasy but just talking so openly about it," Simko said.

Simko said the boys were so rambunctious that she stopped and played with them. It wasn't until the next day she heard about the murders, just one day after they met.

"I can only pray they were asleep at the time it happened," she said.

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