MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. — A man was shot and killed outside of his home on Grandhaven Drive in Mount Holly late Monday night, and one neighbor told Channel 9 it may have all started with a minor traffic accident.
Channel 9 reporter Lauren Crawford spoke with the victim’s wife Tuesday morning. She said her husband, Thomas, left their home Monday night simply to pick up a few things for their Labor Day cookout.
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Minutes later, she heard a gunshot and then learned her husband had been shot and killed just outside their home.
“You’re 60 years old. You’ve got the rest of your life. What if you live to your 80s? You’re without your spouse. They’re gone. And he was my best friend,” his wife said.
Thomas’s wife said they had been married for 24 years, and he would have celebrated his 58th birthday Saturday.
She says he left home to go to the grocery store. About five minutes later, she heard a loud noise. A neighbor then came to her door and told her Thomas had been shot.
When she got outside, she says a neighbor’s son was performing CPR.
“All I know is somebody shot him, and shot him at close range,” his wife said.
Thomas’s wife says they tried to save him, performing CPR for about 30 minutes.
Another neighbor we spoke with today tells us the confrontation started with a fender bender. Police have not confirmed that account, and we are still working to learn what led up to the shooting.
Gaston County police arrested 25-year-old Jaelen Drum at the scene. He is charged with second-degree murder and is in jail without bond.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.