BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — A woman had to be flown to the hospital after police said her boyfriend shot her in the face at a river access area along the John’s River in Burke County.
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Deputies were called around 11:30 p.m. and told a woman, identified as 45-year-old Wendy Setzer, had been shot at the John’s River Access along U.S. 64, north of Morganton. They were also told that her boyfriend, 65-year-old Michael Justice, was on a pontoon boat on the river. The two were arguing when the boat got stuck on a sandbar.
Burke County deputies and Morganton police arrived and found Setzer had been shot in the face.
“All I heard was arguing until the gunshot went off,” witness Brad Morgan said.
Morgan and his friends went to the river to go fishing when they heard the gunshot.
She was airlifted to a local hospital with serious injuries.
The witnesses tried to help Setzer.
“She told Brad, ‘Please help me. God, he shot me,’” witness Brandon Cox said.
Officers said they spotted the pontoon boat along the riverbank, about 100 yards from the access area.
Justice would not respond to police, so a SWAT team was called to the scene, investigators said. Three SWAT members were ferried to the pontoon boat where they approached and challenged Justice, investigators said.
More officers helped from the riverbank and Justice was taken into custody without incident just after 3 a.m., officials said.
“If we wouldn’t have gone fishing last night, that lady would have died,” Morgan said. “She would have been dumped in that water. That man was not coming out of there.”
“We know he’s armed, said Burke County Sheriff Steve Whisenant. “We did take the firearm off his person when the SWAT team got there. You’ve got the SWAT team coming up the river and they can see him and obviously the suspect can see the SWAT team coming.”
Justice has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and booked under no bond. He will face a judge Tuesday.
(Michael Justice)
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