NC Family Says Neighbor Shot Their Son Multiple Times, No Charges Filed

A Richmond County family claims their son was shot by their neighbor on August 22nd and the sheriff’s office has been tight lipped about the status of the case.

It’s been two weeks since 23-year-old Jadyn McNeill walked across the street to his neighbor’s house on McDonald Church Road in Rockingham.

“I saw the gunman with weapons in his hand and I looked at my son and I noticed bullet holes in his shirt and then I saw the blood,” Charles McNeill, Jadyn’s father said.

Charles McNeill says his son Jadyn visited their 72-year-old neighbor who they have been living across from for the past eight years. McNeill says his son wanted to spread the good news of his Christian faith but he left with bad news.

“Just to talk to him about the Bible no harm intended,” McNeill said.

With a cell phone and t-shirt in his hand, McNeill says his son was shot at least five times through the neighbor’s door around 9 in the morning.

“He was shot through the right hand, through the left arm, twice in the abdomen, once in the chest”, “McNeill said. “It’s making him stronger in his faith. You hear about people getting shot one time and dying. For him to be shot five times and was still standing this will only make him more of a believer.”

McNeill says his son is in stable condition at the hospital and will recover, but there are still questions about what happened. In a Facebook post, The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says it responded to a 911 call about a stranger outside of a home trying to get inside. The post says the shooter fired his weapon trying to get the person to leave. The McNeill family hired Charlotte attorney Carnell Johnson from Johnson & Nicholson.

“When 911 is called, usually the arrest happens pretty quickly,” Johnson said. “Two weeks is longer than I normally see for sure.”

The Richmond County Sheriff’s office called in the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations to help investigate.

“This is why we are asking for a thorough investigation, we don’t want to put out a narrative without having it fully investigated by an independent authority,” Carnell Johnson, Johnson & Nicholson said.

At this time the shooter has not been arrested or charged and the department claims the investigation is ongoing.

“I think it’s about informing the public about what’s happening with tax dollars in terms of investigations, and that the public make the decision on what they think is appropriate,” Johnson said.

WCCB Charlotte did not name the shooter because he is not facing charges at this time. As Jadyn continues to heal at the hospital, the McNeill family is keeping the faith.

“I have to see this house every day where I know I lay my son down on the ground his blood on me for knocking on the door, this is senseless,” McNeill said.

WCCB Charlotte was able to speak to Richmond County Sheriff Mark B. Gulledge Wednesday by email. Sheriff Gulledge says investigators from his office have already met with the District Attorney and provided a preliminary report. He says the investigation is ongoing and all final findings and reports will be submitted to the Richmond County County District attorney. When WCCB Charlotte called the District Attorney’s office we were told they could not comment on whether their office has received a case file on the investigation.

Attorney Johnson says he has some concerns the sheriff’s office could be centering the case around Jadyn, instead of the shooter.

“We had some suspicion Jaden was the focal point of the investigation, but we’re not sure. We can’t verify that at this point,” Johnson said. “For attempted breaking and entering, so at this point, there may be another meeting with the sheriff’s department, but we are unsure or of the status of the investigation.”