A tragic series of events unfolded in Person County, North Carolina, involving a fatal accident and a subsequent shooting. Chad Woods, 41, is facing second-degree murder charges for allegedly fatally shooting 39-year-old Jeffrey McKay on Monday. The incident occurred shortly after McKay was allegedly involved in an accident that resulted in the death of Woods' 17-year-old son.
Sgt. Kevin Morris of the Person County Sheriff’s Department told NBC News that the incident happened early Monday, Aug. 14, on Dink Ashley Road near Ed Brooks Road in Timberlake.
According to the Person County Sheriff’s Office and the N.C. State Highway Patrol, the man’s family car reportedly ran out of gas, and three relatives had started walking along a road. Police say Woods and his son were walking down the road back toward their home after running out of gas when a Department of Corrections truck driven by McKay crashed into Woods' son, according to a report from ABC 11. A driver was “unable to avoid” crashing into the man’s 17-year-old son, killing him.
Map of Person County, North Carolina
McKay stopped the truck and called 911 to report the incident, but the teen was pronounced dead at the scene. As the driver was reporting the crash to a 911 operator, two gunshot-like noises could be heard before the line went quiet. The teen’s father had taken out a handgun and shot and killed the driver, Sheriff Jason Wilborn told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
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Woods then pulled out a gun and shot McKay before throwing his gun into a nearby pond and stealing McKay's truck, police said, leaving the bodies on the street and driving home in the stolen vehicle. The Person County Sheriff's Department told Fox News Digital that McKay was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The father - identified as 41-year-old Chad Woods of Timberlake - was arrested and charged with larceny and second-degree murder. Woods was later arrested at his home less than a mile from the scene. He also faces larceny of a motor vehicle charges in the case. He is being held in the Person County Detention Center and is due in court on Aug. 21.
The driver was identified as 39-year-old Jeffrey Leonard McKay, a Youngsville man who was a maintenance worker for the state’s Department of Correction. McKay was a maintenance worker in the North Carolina Department of Corrections, according to Morris. He lived in Youngsville, a town about 40 miles southeast of Timberlake, Morris said.
Sgt. Kevin Morris told McClatchy News the incident happened early Monday, Aug. 14. The family’s car broke down near Dink Ashley Road, roughly 25 miles north of Durham.
According to Person County Sheriff's Office, the boy's father, Chad Woods, pulled out a gun and shot McKay. Then, the dad reportedly stole the driver’s pickup truck and went to the family’s home, leaving behind the son and the driver. He then tossed the gun into a nearby pond, got into McKay's truck and drove home, leaving his son and McKay in the street.
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“This is kind of a first,” Morris told ABC11, The News & Observer’s media partner. Morris said Woods had a criminal record but that he didn't immediately have more details to provide. Authorities tracked Woods down at his home after identifying the minor, according to Morris. He added that authorities are also working to identify who they believe was an additional person at the scene based on another voice heard in the background of the 911 call. It was not immediately clear whether Woods has a lawyer representing him or when he will make his first appearance in Person County Court, according to Morris.
Joy in the Woods #poem by Claude McKay
“I’ve been to people struck by cars and I’ve been to shootings, but I haven’t ever had this happen at the same time. Sad situation all around, for all the families.”
Meanwhile, the family of Woods' son is left mourning the loss of the teen. "He was a good person. He was a real good person," the teen's brother told ABC11. "Wanted to be an IT technician. He was doing, he wanted to be positive in life. He wanted to help people. He was a people person."
Second-degree murder carries a maximum punishment of life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to North Carolina sentencing guidelines.
Chad Woods
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Reactions and Aftermath
"He was just out of it, going off and stuff. He was going, 'He just he killed my son. He killed my son,'" Woods' father Lawrence Clayborn said.
Person County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Kevin Morris called the case a "first" for the department, telling ABC 11 the incident is sad for the families involved. One tragedy after another in Person County.
Morris said Woods had a criminal record but that he didn't immediately have more details to provide.
Authorities are also working to identify who they believe was an additional person at the scene based on another voice heard in the background of the 911 call.
The investigation is ongoing, and state troopers wrote in a news release that the incident happened early Monday, Aug. 14.
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