Driver found shot to death in crashed vehicle on I-77 near Huntersville, police say
Toll lanes on Interstate 77 South were blocked for hours Thursday morning as Cornelius police investigated the death of a driver they said was found with gunshot wounds inside a crashed vehicle.
Police have identified Brandon David Hedrick, 34, of Mooresville as the deceased person.
A N.C. State Highway Patrol trooper approached a black Jeep that appeared to have been traveling southbound on I-77 around the 26.4 mile marker, near the Sam Furr Road exit, at 6:34 a.m., Trooper Ray Pierce told the Observer.
The responding trooper first thought it was a stranded motorist, Pierce said. But upon further inspection, he noticed some damage down the left side of the vehicle and found Hedrick behind the wheel unresponsive.
Medic pronounced Hedrick dead at the scene, Pierce said. The driver didn’t die from the vehicle collision because the Jeep only had minor damage, Pierce said.
NCSHP filed a collision report, but Pierce said they called Cornelius police to conduct a death investigation because of “what was in the car.”
Hedrick’s death is being investigated as a homicide, according to Cornelius police.
The department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect vehicle involved in the homicide. The vehicle is possibly a white Ford Econoline passenger van, police said.
Cornelius Police are also seeking information from anyone that may have been traveling I-77 southbound around 6:10 a.m.
The highway reopened at around 11 a.m., police said.
Anyone with information about this homicide is asked to call Captain Thompson with the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773.
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 2:26 PM.
