North Carolina News – February 22

North Carolina News – February 22

CONCRETE PIPES-ARTIFICIAL REEFS

NCDOT donates concrete pipes to build artificial reefs

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — The N.C. Department of Transportation has joined with the state Division of Marine Fisheries in a project to convert damaged concrete pipes into artificial reefs off the coast of Brunswick County. WECT-TV reports the pipes are too damaged for anything NCDOT would have used them for. Over a thousand tons of pipe were taken from the department’s maintenance yard in Columbus County. They were replaced after being damaged by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. The Bladen County maintenance yard sent more than 100 tons of similarly damaged pipe to be used in the project last week.

HUMAN REMAINS FOUND

2 charged after human remains found in North Carolina

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina police department says human remains found in January are those of a woman who has been missing since July, and two people have been charged in her death. The Charlotte Observer reports the Huntersville Police Department identified the woman as 47-year-old Alibria Kerns of Rowan County. Huntersville Police say they received a tip on Jan. 27 from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department about a potential homicide involving a missing person. Remains were later found in a residential area. Cody Camarda Graham is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and concealing a death, She is already in custody in Michigan on unrelated charges. Police have already charged Christopher John Nailor in the case.

WILD HORSE EUTHANIZED

Wild horse on North Carolina Outer Banks euthanized

COROLLA, N.C. (AP) — The group that helps protect the wild horses on the North Carolina Outer Banks says one of the horses has been euthanized. The Corolla Wild Horse Fund said on its Facebook page on Sunday that its veterinarian euthanized the stallion, named Tyler, last Tuesday. According to the organization, the horse was in its mid-20s and had been under observation by staff members as well as the veterinarian. The post said that It was clear that the horse was approaching the end of its life, and added that he was buried “in a quiet place.”

FATAL SHOOTINGS-APARTMENT COMPLEX

2 shot to death at North Carolina apartment complex

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say two men were shot to death and two others were wounded after a shooting at an apartment complex. News outlets report Durham police responded to a report of a shooting shortly before 1:25 a.m. on Saturday. In a news release, spokesperson Lt. Jackie Werner said officers found four men who had been shot, two of whom were pronounced dead at the scene. The other two shooting victims were taken to a local hospital. One of them suffered life-threatening injuries, while the other man’s injuries were not thought to be life-threatening. 

FATAL SHOOTING-HOUSE

North Carolina city reports first homicide in more than year

THOMASVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say a man was killed when he was hit by gunfire from outside his home. The Winston-Salem Journal reports Thomasville police said officers were dispatched to a home at 7:46 p.m. on Saturday in response to reports of shots being fired. Arriving officers found Elvin Yomar Barbosa Jimenez, 41, dead inside the home, police said. The police department says it’s Thomasville’s first reported homicide since Feb. 1, 2021, There have been no arrests in the case.

REMOVING DIXIE

North Carolina State removes ‘Dixie” from alma mater

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina State University Board of Trustees has decided to remove the word “Dixie” from its alma mater because of its Confederate connotation. The board voted Friday to change the wording of the first line of the song. “Where the winds of Dixie softly blow” will be replaced by “Where the Southern winds so softly blow.” WNCN-TV reports that a letter from Chancellor Randy Woodson said the song was originally written in the 1920s. Woodson said a growing number of students, faculty, staff and alumni have expressed concerns about the word, which they see as contrary to the school’s values and goals.

DEPUTY SHERIFF SHOT

Deputy sheriff shot during traffic stop, shoots suspect

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say a sheriff’s deputy was shot during a traffic stop in North Carolina, then returned fire and hit the shooter. The Charlotte Observer reports that the deputy, Dijon Whyms, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.  Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said the suspect, Aidan Cole Bryant, was hospitalized and had surgery Saturday night. The sheriff’s office said in a news release that Whyms was shot after stopping a vehicle about 4:15 p.m. Saturday in northeast Charlotte. As Whyms approached the vehicle, Bryant fired multiple shots, striking Whyms. The sheriff’s office said Whyms returned fire, injuring the suspect.

LIZARD LICK TOWING-SON KILLED

‘Lizard Lick Towing’ star says son killed in N.C. shooting

GARNER, N.C. (AP) — The owner of a towing and repossession business that was featured in a reality TV show confirmed that his son was killed in a shooting in North Carolina. In a post on Facebook, Ronnie Shirley confirmed that 21-year-old Harley Shirley was fatally shot in Garner late Thursday. Shirley and his wife, Amy, own Lizard Lick Towing and starred in a truTV reality show based on their family business from 2011 to 2014. The News & Observer reports that Harley Shirley and a 20-year-old woman were found in a parking lot. Investigators believe they were shot at a home about 3 miles away. The woman’s injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. 

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