HICKORY, NC — The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office has charged three men accused of lying to authorities after an accidental shooting Tuesday night.
The incident started around 6:42pm when one of the men reported a shooting on Huffman Farm Road to Catawba County Communications. The caller claimed he and two other men had picked up a hitchhiker who then shot the driver through the seat after trying to rob them.
Hickory Police eventually met the men at a shopping center parking lot on South NC 127 Hwy and say they received the same story about the incident. Officers say the men described the suspect as a young, dark skinned man with short, small twisted dreadlocks.
The men claimed the suspect jumped out of the vehicle and took off after the shooting.
The driver, identified as Donald Reid, 39, was suffering from a gunshot wound, according to officials, and was taken to Frye Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office says while investigating the case however, they learned the three men had lied about the scenario to cover for Benjamin McCann, 25, who they say accidentally shot Reid.
Dylan Carroll, 20, was a third passenger in the vehicle.
All three men are charged with Filing a False Police Report. McCann is additionally charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
Officials say more charges are pending and the case is still under investigation.
