Gunman in custody after Lenoir Food Lion manager shot

LENOIR, N.C. — Police took a suspected gunman into custody early Monday morning, accusing him of shooting a store manager multiple times outside a Food Lion in Lenoir early Sunday morning.

Bill Mudd Jr. is behind bars on $250,000 bond and will appear in court Tuesday.

Mudd turned himself into Lenoir police just before 9 a.m. and had very little to say to Channel 9's cameras as he was led into the magistrate's office Monday morning.

Investigators said Mudd, 44, shot Michael Keller, 50, in the parking lot of the store on Wilksboro Boulevard, just before the store opened at 7 a.m. Sunday.

Police said Keller, who is a market manager at the store, was going to work when he was confronted by Mudd Jr.

"He arrived at work and was confronted in the parking lot," said Lenoir Police Chief Scott Brown. "After a brief argument, multiple shots were fired -- at least two."

Investigators would not go into detail about what the men were arguing about, just that the incident was domestic related.

Investigators said the two men know each other and it was Keller who told police Mudd Jr. shot him. No one else was injured.
 
Keller was rushed into surgery after he was airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte with multiple gunshot wounds.
 
A relative told Channel 9 Keller was out of surgery Sunday evening.

Channel 9 spoke with one of Mudd's neighbors who was surprised that the shooting happened.

"This is the first time I've heard of Bill getting in trouble," said Cynthia Dula.

Mudd Jr. was last seen immediately after the shooting driving southeast on Taylorsville Road in a white 2011 Ford F-150 crew-cab pick-up with a North Carolina license plate -- EJ4-110.

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