Local

Weekly Rundown: The stories you might have missed

Earnhardt Jr. won't be in booth for Bristol race following fiery plane crash

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family were not seriously hurt when the plane they were on crashed and caught fire Thursday afternoon at an airport in Tennessee, officials said.

Authorities said the private plane, registered under JR Motorsports in Mooresville, rolled off the end of the runway around 3:40 p.m. Thursday after landing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport. The plane had taken off about 20 minutes before the crash from Statesville.

Authorities have reviewed surveillance footage from near the crash site. They said it showed the plane bounced at least twice before coming down hard on one of the landing gears.

[WATCH: VIDEO: Plane was on fire when Earnhardt Jr., family escaped crash]

Earnhardt, his wife Amy and their 15-month-old daughter Isla were on board, along with two pilots and the family dog.

CLICK HERE for more on the developing investigation.

'They lost a family member': ICE arrests five people at Morganton business

Immigration agents arrested several people in Burke County Wednesday morning. 

Carissa Cutrell from Homeland Security Investigations in Charlotte told our news partners the Morganton News Herald agents arrested seven men -- six citizens of Guatemala and one of Mexico.

Five men were at Case Farms in Morganton and two others were at its Goldsboro, North Carolina location. 

ICE sent Channel 9 a statement following the arrests saying, "The individuals arrested by HSI had previous criminal histories ranging from aggravated identity theft to illegal re-entry of a convicted and deported aggravated felon."

CLICK HERE to see surveillance photos of ICE agents in a Burke County neighborhood.

‘We've locked the doors': Employees called 911 before officer shot man outside restaurant

One person is in the hospital after being shot by a police officer late Tuesday night at a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in Gastonia, police said.

A customer told Channel 9 he had just finished eating, walked out the front door and saw the man carrying a gun.

"He stuck the gun in this mouth and that's when I start screaming, ‘Don't, don't, don't, don't,'" Collins said. "I thought he was gonna pull the trigger. I ran over and buried my head."

Collins backed away from the man. The customer pushed his son and friend back inside the restaurant and saw an employee was already on the phone with 911.

The Gaston County district attorney said the shooting was justified.

CLICK HERE to listen to the 911 calls.

Man on run after allegedly killing pregnant woman, abducting children

A 28-year-old woman who was shot to death Monday in southwest Charlotte was 24 weeks pregnant, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said.

Following the deadly shooting, an Amber Alert was issued when investigators said two toddlers, Aziyah Garner, 1, and Dior Muhammad, 3, were abducted by the gunman, 35-year-old Edward Garner Sr. The children were later found safe.

>> Download the WSOCTV news app for your smartphone and get updates on breaking stories as they come in.

Edward Garner is 6-foot-1 with brown short cut hair and brown eyes.

He has warrants out for the murder of an unborn child, murder and possession of a firearm by a felon. Police said Garner should be considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, call 911 immediately.

CLICK HERE to see Garner's picture.

Salisbury celebrates Rowan Little League's softball World Series title

Congratulations to the Rowan County softball team on its Little League Softball World Series Championship!

The girls defeated Eastbank Little League from River Ridge, Louisiana, 4-1 on Wednesday night at Alenrose Stadium in Portland, Oregon, to capture their second championship in four years.

CLICK HERE to see photos and videos from their big welcome home.

Cox Media Group

Most Read