NEWTON, N.C. — A driver was shot in the neck recently at a Love’s Truck Stop near Newton during an argument.
A two-month-old baby and the baby’s mother were also in the vehicle at the time of the incident.
The injured driver was transported to a hospital with serious injuries, and the suspect escaped in another vehicle. The shooting occurred along Highway 10 west of Newton.
It followed an argument that took place in the truck stop’s parking lot, approximately 75 yards away from where the car eventually crashed.
Lindsey Punch, who lives across the street from the truck stop, described the scene after the shooting.
“Terrifying living so close by. The lady got out of the car. She was screaming. She got on her knees, so I ran over to see what was going on. So I held her two-month-old baby,” Punch said.
A witness also reported hearing the mother screaming, “My baby...my baby” before the shooting.
A first responder was later observed holding the two-month-old baby near an ambulance.
Customers at the truck stop reacted to the incident. Jeremiah Elder, who had just exited the store with his family after the shooting, commented on the danger. “That’s really scary...that’s really scary,” Elder said.
Esneralda Rios, another customer, expressed concerns about public safety.
Rios stated, “Really dangerous. No lives should be taken just because of somebody’s recklessness and selflessness.”
Local police are currently reviewing surveillance video from the truck stop in an effort to identify the suspect.
Investigators are exploring the possibility that the shooting may have happened after the car crashed. The motive for the incident has not yet been determined.
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