Crime & Courts

Suspect in triple shooting that left 2 dead identified by NC police

This story was updated at 10:35 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021:

Two men were killed and a third showed up at a hospital hurt after a shooting along a rural stretch of road in Gaston County late Thursday, police said.

Gaston County police said officers found 22-year-old Robert Lucas “Luke” Gibby of Bessemer City and 19-year-old Adam Kale Wood of Kings Mountain dead near the intersection of Lowery Wood Road and Lewis Farm Road, just north of Kings Mountain.

Michael Shane Barnes of Taylorsville, NC
Michael Shane Barnes of Taylorsville, NC Gaston County Police

Late Saturday, police named 19-year-old Michael Shane Barnes of Taylorsville as a suspect in the shooting. Warrants were issued on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder, according to a police statement. Barnes is “considered armed and dangerous,” and police cautioned the public not to interact with him.

Police found Gibby and Wood after responding to a 911 call about a shooting at 11:45 p.m. Thursday.

Read Next

About two hours later, 21-year-old Todd Payton Lee Waggoner of Winston Salem entered Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Waggoner “reported to have been at the scene earlier in the night,” according to a Gaston County Police Department news release. The hospital is about 110 miles northeast of the shooting scene.

Police urged anyone with information to call them at 704-866-3320 or Crime Stoppers at 704-861-8000.

Crimes Stoppers pays a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest, police said.

This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 12:11 PM.

Joe Marusak
The Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER