Sheriff: Man arrested after shooting mother to death, leading deputies on chase

ALEXANDER COUNTY, N.C. — An Alexander County man is in custody after authorities say he shot his mother to death and then lead deputies on a chase.

It happened around 8:45 a.m. at a home off of Harbert Mountain Road on Mount Olive Church Road in the Sugar Loaf Community.

When officers got to the house, they found a woman suffering from several gunshot wounds. Alexander County EMS took the victim to a designated helicopter landing zone so she could go to an area hospital, but she died from her injuries before they arrived.

During the investigation, officers learned the suspect, 36-year-old Christopher Brown, was armed and had left the area in a small gray hatchback vehicle.

Authorities were able to find the vehicle, but Brown refused to stop and started driving back toward the scene of the shooting. Officers pursued the vehicle until it stopped near the house on Harbert Mountain Road, which is where officers took Brown into custody.

Brown was identified as the victim’s son and had a gun in his possession when he was arrested.

Authorities said the shooting happened after a “domestic dispute.”

Brown’s father told Channel 9′s Dave Faherty his son suffers from mental health issues and the family had tried to help him help last year. It was then that deputies took weapons, but they said under the law they couldn’t keep them because Brown completed his treatment.

“I wish there had been some legal, legally way I could have kept them,” Alexander County Sheriff Chris Bowman said.

Neighbors said deputies have been called to the home in the past.

“Terrible, absolutely terrible and you don’t wish this on anybody," neighbor Jason Harbert said.

“Makes you question how safe are you,” brother Jake Harbert said. “Like if you’re living beside somebody who can shoot his own mother.”

Brown was taken to the Alexander County Detention Center, where he was charged with first-degree murder. He is being held without bond and has his first court appearance on Oct. 19.

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