Three dead after truck slams into home after shooting and chase in NC, officials say
Three people are dead after a truck slammed into a North Carolina home during a chase, officials said.
The chase began after occupants of the truck shot at and followed another vehicle in South Carolina and North Carolina around 1 a.m. on Sunday, May 14, authorities said.
The car was “struck by gunfire” in Cherokee County, South Carolina, and then “relentlessly pursued” by the truck for miles into Shelby, North Carolina, where the truck occupants continued firing on the car, according to a news release from the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.
“Given this persistence by the suspects, it appears they were determined to kill the occupants of the other vehicle,” the sheriff’s office said, adding that none of the people in the car were injured.
Deputies responded to the area and intervened, according to the sheriff’s office.
The victims “continued on,” and a deputy tried to stop the suspects at an intersection, the sheriff’s office said. The truck ran a red light and continued onto the highway before turning right.
The truck turned off its lights and picked up speed, the sheriff’s office said, and the deputy lost sight of it.
He then found it crashed into a home, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Due to the horrific nature of the crash, deputies and Shelby Police Officers worked together to assist both the fire department and EMS in rendering aid to those in the suspect vehicle,” the sheriff’s office said.
Three people in the vehicle died, the Shelby Police Department told McClatchy News, and three others were taken to a hospital. One was released. All six occupants of the vehicle were males ages 15 to 20.
One person was in the home at the time of the crash but was not hurt, police said.
Officials did not say whether anyone is facing charges.
“Given the relentlessness with which these suspects pursued and shot at the victims, it is a miracle that no one in the victims’ car was injured,” Cleveland County Sheriff Alan Norman said in the release. “I am proud of the joint effort between all the involved agencies to work through this investigation.”
The sheriff’s office said multiple agencies are investigating the incident.
Shelby is about 50 miles west of Charlotte.
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