UNION COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA — Macedonia Church Road in rural Union County was the scene of a shooting and robbery just after 10 p.m. on October 28th. A trio of men, their identity hidden by masks and hoodies, approached a man who was working on a four-wheeler that he planned to sell.
After shooting the man several times and taking his cellphone, they then forced his wife to hand over cash and other valuables before fleeing the scene. Union County Sheriff’s deputies, assisted by a K9 unit from the nearby City of Monroe Police Department, found a possible route which led to W.G. Medlin Road, where they believe the three fled in a waiting vehicle.
Neighbor Sherry Keziah was stunned to learn of the violence in her community. “My friend messaged me and said, ‘Did you know you had a shooting on your road last night?’ I said, ‘No.’ For somebody to actually get shot-that’s scary. Very scary.” She continued, “ I know it’s gonna take some time to get over. I’m just glad they didn’t do anything to his wife.”
The victim reportedly received serious injuries from the gunshots. Deputies mentioned that he had spoke to several strangers about the four-wheeler that was for sale, but it is unknown if any of them are connected to, or were responsible for, the crime.
In this case, it was well after darkness had fallen and the man was probably working in a lighted area or using a portable light of some type. That means that people in the darkness could see him, but he probably couldn’t see them, which made him an easy target. During the course of working on the four-wheeler, he made several trips in and out of the house, presumably through an unlocked door, which made it easy for the bad guys to enter the house.
Given the number of armed assailants, the fact that the husband was quickly incapacitated and the wife was left to fend for herself, the pair is extremely fortunate that the outcome was not much, much worse in many aspects.
When selling items, it is often better to take them to a consignment dealer in order to avoid dealing with strangers. If you do choose to sell items yourself, you should arrange to meet in a public location during the daylight or in a well-lighted area. Many law enforcement agencies provide secure meeting places for such transactions in their community.
