Mystery gunman fires on workers
By Steve Herring
Published in News on March 9, 2015 1:46 PM
KENANSVILLE -- No one was injured Friday when a man dressed in camouflage allegedly fired on utility workers on N.C. 24 just northwest of Kenansville.
No arrests have been made and the investigation is continuing, Sheriff Blake Wallace said this morning.
Wallace said the two men, who are contract workers for MasTec, told investigators they were removing traffic cones near the intersection of N.C. 24 and Lattie Houston Lane about two miles northwest of town.
"As they were picking up the cones, one of the men noticed a laser light on his co-worker's helmet," Wallace said.
The two men started looking around and spotted a white man dressed totally in camouflage some 35 to 50 yards from them between a building and the tree line.
Wallace said the two workers said the man raised a "long gun" of some type and fired twice in their direction.
The men got into their truck and speeded toward town and contacted authorities.
The call came in about 1:40 p.m., and deputies were on the scene within minutes, Wallace said.
Wallace said he asked for and received assistance from the Wayne County Sheriff's Office aviation unit for an aerial search of the area. The Highway Patrol assisted as well in the search that lasted about three hours.
No one was found, but the investigation is continuing, Wallace said.
The suspect is described as a white male, about 6 feet 1 inch tall with a salt and pepper goatee.
Wallace said the two workers could not describe what type of rifle was used.