By Tim Gardner
The Boone Police Department is investigating a shooting on downtown King Street that happened Saturday (July 3), in which one person is reported injured and another taken in custody.
According to media reports, Boone Police Chief Andy Le Beau said law enforcement was notified of shots being fired on King Street around 10:00 a.m. and that a suspect, identified as a “relatively young male” was taken into custody near Boone Fire Station No. 1 after he surrendered peacefully and without further incident.
LeBeau said that the suspect had allegedly fired a gun at another vehicle and apparently shot one of its widows out near Mast General Store.
Le Beau said the incident investigation is ongoing, and the suspect’s name and any charges he may face have not yet been released. Le Beau added that a motive for the shooting is not yet clear and if there’s a connection between the shooter and the victim of the shooting.
Also according to media reports, the Appalachian State University Police Department online tweeted at 10:57 a.m. to confirm an incident happened and that one person was in custody and that there was no threat to the school’s campus.
The Boone Police Department then tweeted at 11:47 a.m. that there was one person injured, but that the injuries were not life-threatening and the person was receiving medical treatment. Le Beau confirmed that one injured person was transported to Watauga Medical Center due to an injury appearing to be caused by a gunshot. He added the victim was in the vehicle located at Mast General Store when the shooting occurred.
The injured person has been treated and released from the hospital.
The area near the shooting was closed while it was being investigated. It was reopened a few hours later.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Watauga County Sheriff’s Department, the Appalachian State Police Department, the Boone Fire Department and Watauga Emergency Management are also assisting the Boone Police Department in the shooting incident.
High Country Press will provide updates for this story as they are made available by the appropriate legal authorities.