Who Are the Suspects Charged in North Carolina Deadly Mass Shooting?
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Eight young adults have been charged in connection with a mass shooting at a North Carolina house party earlier this month, with four facing more than 10 counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office.
Several others have been charged with aiding and abetting and accessary.
Newsweek has reached out to the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI Charlotte office for comment via email on Saturday.
The Context
Law enforcement responded to reports of people being shot at a residence in Catawba County, approximately an hour north of Charlotte, around 12:45 a.m. on June 1. Twelve victims were reported, one of whom died.
“The investigation indicates more than one shooter was involved in the incident,” Major Aaron Turk of the Catawba County Sheriff’s said in a June 1 press conference, later noting that “more than 80 shots were fired.”
An estimated 130 to 160 mass shootings have occurred in the United States so far this year, according to data from the Mass Shooting Tracker and the Gun Violence Archive.
What To Know
Over the past week, law enforcement officials, working with the FBI, have arrested several people in connection with the shooting, for charges related to attempted murder, accessory, and aiding and abetting.
Although the victims at the party range in age from 16 to 58, the suspects are young adults. The deceased victim has been identified as 58-year-old Shawn Patrick Hood of Lenoi, North Carolina.
Local news station WSOC-TVreported that investigators believe the five suspects accused of opening fire at the party are affiliated with a nationally recognized gang, but have not publicly released the group’s name.
The FBI estimates there are around “33,000 violent street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs are criminally active in the U.S. today.” A 2022 North Carolina Department of Public Safety report identified 237 gangs active in the state, putting membership around 8,000.
On Friday, the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office announced that the following four suspects, received 10 additional counts of attempted first-degree murder, “received no bond and remain in the custody of the Catawba County Detention Facility,” the latest police update states.
Toland Huff Jr.
Toland Huff Jr., a 20-year-old resident of Hickory, North Carolina, was initially arrested on one count of attempted first-degree murder and now faces 11 counts. He was the last of the suspects to be located and taken into custody.
Izaiah Kane Mitchell
The 18-year-old Morganton, North Carolina, resident, who is also referred to as Zay Harris, was similarly first arrested on one count of attempted first-degree murder, now facing 11.
Ke’andre O’Neal Mack
A 19-year-old Hickory resident also faces 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder. On Friday, he confessed to firing an entire clip into the crowd, according to local news station WSOC-TV.
Zachary Michael Bates
The oldest of the suspects, Bates is 22 years old and resides in Morganton, North Carolina. He now faces 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder. Prosecutors said on Friday that Bates participated in the shooting in an effort to gain gang status.
Another suspect, 20-year-old Garon Nathaniel Killian is facing a count of attempted first-degree murder, and a previous count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill following an April altercation. He appeared in court on Thursday for the April charge.
Zoe Makenna Braswell, 18, faces one count of accessory after the fact to attempted first‑degree murder, while Patrick Lee Tolbert, 22, and Raekwon Malik Craig, 21, have each been charged with three counts of aiding and abetting underage alcohol possession in connection with the party, according to the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators use a metal detector to collect evidence at the scene of a mass shooting on June 1 in Hickory, North Carolina. Investigators use a metal detector to collect evidence at the scene of a mass shooting on June 1 in Hickory, North Carolina. Sarah C. Johnson/The Hickory Daily Record via AP
What People Are Saying
Major Aaron Turk, Catawba County Sheriff’s Office told WSOC-TV on Friday: “Gang motives were a part of this tragedy. We are still unraveling that as part of our larger investigation.”
Anderson Clayton, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, wrote in an X, formerly Twitter, post on June 1: “And yet republicans in our state legislature are trying to make permit-less carry legal in this state. The answer to gun violence being the #1 killer of young people in communities across our state is not to make it easier for young people to buy one.”
North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) said in a Facebook post on June 4: “SBI agents, along with officers from 12 agencies, are working around the clock to locate and bring all involved to justice.”
What Happens Next
The four suspects facing over 10 counts of attempted first-degree murder will appear in the Catawba County District Court on June 9, according to the latest press release. The police statement notes that “additional charges are pending.”
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