North Carolina News – December 22

BC-NC-CHILD DEATH

Police: Child who was struck by BB or pellet gun has died

STONY POINT, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say that an 8-year-old girl has died after being struck in the chest by “a single shot from a BB or pellet gun.” The Hickory Daily Record reports that the incident occurred Sunday near a family’s home in Stony Point. The Alexander County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the shooting appears to be accidental. Initial findings from the investigation indicate that two juveniles, ages 8 and 7, were shooting a BB gun and a pellet rifle at targets when the 8-year-old was struck. The child was being transferred to a hospital in Winston-Salem when the child went into cardiac and later died.

IMAGINARY BURGLARY SHOOTING

Deputies: Man shoots up family home hallucinating a burglary

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina man who deputies say fired a shotgun in his home while hallucinating on drugs about an imaginary burglary has been charged with child abuse. The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said in a Monday statement John-Michael Scott Coppola fired while his newborn child was at the Mooresville home. Officials say 27-year-old Coppola and the child’s mother, Kaylee Brianna Wilhelm, were using meth and marijuana. Deputies found both of them “impaired” when they arrived at the home for a welfare check. Wilhelm was also charged with child abuse and a $7,500 bond has been set for the couple. It was not immediately clear if they have an attorney to comment on their behalf.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

North Carolina stores OK’d to deliver alcohol, sell curbside

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has signed an executive order making it easier for businesses to sell alcohol without customers having to show up in person. The order will remain in effect through the end of January as a step to help fight the coronavirus. It lets restaurants, hotels, clubs, bars and some distilleries holding certain permits from the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission sell alcoholic products to-go or for delivery. Cooper’s order promoting curbside and delivery options aims to let residents purchase alcohol in a safer way. Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have surged in North Carolina over the past month.

BC-NC-LUMBEE TRIBE

Chairman says tribe won’t get federal recognition this year

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The chairman of North Carolina’s Lumbee Tribe says it appears that the tribe will not be getting federal recognition this year. The Charlotte Observer reported that chairman Harvey Godwin Jr. posted a statement on Facebook on Sunday. He said that federal recognition would not be included in Congress’ year-end spending bill. There had been optimism earlier this year that the tribe would get recognition. There was support from President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden. There was passage of a recognition bill in the U.S. House. North Carolina’s U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis also backed the effort. Many of the tribe’s members live in North Carolina’s Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke and Scotland counties.

FATAL DOMESTIC SHOOTING

Police: Pregnant woman, unborn child killed in N. Carolina

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Police say a pregnant woman was fatally shot during a domestic shooting in North Carolina. The Fayetteville Police Department said in a statement that responding officers found Sarah Lewis with multiple gunshot wounds at a Fayetteville home Sunday night. She was brought to a hospital, where she died. Police say the unborn baby also has died due to injuries sustained during the shooting. Officials say the suspect, Keith Lewis, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities did not provide information on the relationship was between the victim and the suspect. Police say there was a child at the home during the shooting but the child wasn’t injured.

BC-NC-VIRUS OUTBREAK-NORTH CAROLINA-SHERIFF’S OFFICE

North Carolina sheriff’s office deemed COVID-19 cluster

FRANKLIN, N.C. (AP) — Health officials in North Carolina have designated a sheriff’s office as a COVID-19 cluster after six members of the department staff tested positive. The Charlotte Observer reports the Macon County Health Department reported the tests results in a Facebook post on Friday. The health department says the sheriff’s office is aware of the exposure and are being contacted for testing. Officials say anyone who came within six feet of an infected employee for 10 minutes or longer is at risk. The sheriff’s office shared the health department’s report on its Facebook page, but declined to comment.

AP-NC-BB GUN-SHOOTING DEATH

North Carolina boy dies after accidental BB gun shooting

TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina sheriff’s office says an 8-year-old child has died after being accidentally shot in the chest with a BB gun or pellet gun while playing with another child. News outlets report the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office says deputies responding to a call on Sunday found the child wounded at a home in the Stony Point community. The sheriff’s office says the child was being transferred from Iredell Memorial Hospital to Brenner’s Children Hospital in Winston-Salem when the child went into cardiac arrest and was diverted to another hospital, where the child died.

AP-NC-HURRICANES ARENA-WATER LEAK

Carolina Hurricanes arena sustained damages after water leak

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The home of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes sustained $250,000 in damages after a water leak was discovered in the room where video replays are controlled for the overhead scoreboard. The News & Observer of Raleigh reports some team employees returned to PNC Arena in Raleigh earlier this month to find the leak in the CanesVision audio/visual control room and server room. The scoreboard was not working for Saturday’s Campbell-N.C. State men’s basketball game, meaning there were no video replays for the few people attending the game. Centennial Authority executive director Jeff Merritt said in an email to authority members that the video board won’t be fully operational until late January.