GASTONIA, N.C.,None — Gastonia police are still investigating a Monday morning argument outside a local restaurant that left at least one person with a gunshot wound to the face.
The incident occurred about 1:50 a.m. at the Waffle House at 1729 Bessemer City Road in west Gastonia.
Two groups of people were inside the restaurant eating at the time when they began to argue. Some kind of fight broke out, and the groups moved out to the parking lot, where the violence escalated, said Gastonia Police Sgt. Jimmy Arndt.
"Evidently two individuals started shooting at each other and one guy got hit," Arndt said.
The two shooters and others who had been standing nearby then fled the scene.
A short time later, Adrian Lamar Sanders, 29, of 315 S. Yates St., Gastonia, admitted himself to Gaston Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to the face. Hospitals are required by law to report gunshot wounds to law enforcement.
When Gastonia police arrived, they attempted to question Sanders and determined he had been at the shooting scene. But it is still unclear whether he was one of the two men who was firing a weapon, Arndt said.
"We're not sure if he was one of the guys involved in the fight or not," he said.
At least six .45-caliber and six .380-caliber handgun shell casings were found at the scene.
No arrests have been made.
"We're just getting on that," said Arndt. "It's going to take a while to figure out."
No other property was damaged during the shooting, Arndt said.
Sanders' injuries also did not appear to be severe.
"He was shot in the face area, but it wasn't life-threatening from what I understand," Arndt said.