Brothers charged in Nash County courthouse shooting
NASHVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Nash County Sheriff's Office now has two brothers in custody for the alleged shooting of two people outside the courthouse in Nashville Tuesday.
"A lot of hard work has been put in by a lot of different law enforcement agencies," said Nashville Police Chief Thomas Bashore.
Demond Levar Morris, 36, and Brandon Tremaine Morris, 31, of Rocky Mount are charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.
The older brother was arrested late Wednesday in Raleigh, and the second brother turned himself in Thursday morning.
"They are both cooperating," said Nash County Sheriff Dick Jenkins.
Donte'a Evans and Lamar Ricks were shot just after 11 a.m. Tuesday on the front porch of the courthouse. One was shot in the left shoulder. The second was shot in the hand and twice in the leg. Both are recovering at Vidant Medical Center. Sheriff Jenkins said their condition was stable.
Early in the investigation, authorities first arrested a third man, but later let him go after a woman said she was with him all day Tuesday and he was not involved.
Sheriff Jenkins was unapologetic Thursday, saying that's how investigations progress sometimes.
"If we have information that says you did it, we're going to look at you and question you," said Jenkins. "When we find out there's nothing to it, we turn you loose."
Click to watch Jenkins' news conference.
The shootings stunned the normally quiet Nashville, about 50 miles east of Raleigh.
"We heard gunshots, like: Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!" said Judy Winstead, who works at a real estate office across from the court. "It was very loud, and when we came out we even smelled gunpowder."
Winstead said she ran to the front door and locked it as an uninjured woman screamed on the courthouse steps.
Within minutes, Winstead said "there were deputies all over the place and cop cars zooming in" at the courthouse that handles both civil and criminal cases.
Renee Davis said she heard five loud, echoing shots inside her flower shop across the street. A half-dozen people ducked inside her store for cover, she said.
"You knew it was gunshots because it was consecutive," said Davis, co-owner of Madelyn's Flower Shop.
Thursday, Chief Bashore said things in the town are returning to normal.
"Nashville is a safe place for both the citizens and the visitors we have that come here," he said.
