Police say Gastonia man shooting near school had mental health crisis
Gastonia police arrested 23-year-old man at around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday after an hourslong standoff that stemmed from gunfire near a small school.
Police said Khalif Bigelow, 23, was having a mental health crisis when he began firing from inside a home on North Pryor Sreet at nearby houses and the learning center, a police news release said.
Earlier in the day, police urged people to avoid the North Pryor Street and Airline Avenue area near downtown amid reports that someone had barricaded with a weapon. A call for service came in around 9:20 a.m., police spokesperson Bill McGinty said.
Police shut down neighboring streets as a precaution, as well as the Erwin Park Community Center. The learning center was placed on lockdown.
The Gastonia Regional SWAT Team along with a Gastonia regional drone team and negotiation team responded.
Law enforcement used tear gas on the home to get Bigelow to come out with his mother, the news release said. Bigelow’s mother was not a hostage and was not charged with a crime, police said.
“We are thankful this dangerous situation was resolved peacefully and without injury to residents, responding officers, or the individuals involved,” Gastonia Police Chief Trent Conard said in a statement. “This incident highlights the professionalism and coordination of all responding agencies during a highly volatile situation.”
What happened
Someone started shooting at about 9:30 a.m., Cassandra Byrd said in an interview with The Charlotte Observer. Byrd runs Gastonia Freedom School, an alternative learning center for students with autism and other learning disabilities.
Three students were inside when shooting started next door. It was their last day of classes.
“They know that we have children in that building, and for them to just not care, not have any empathy or compassion —“ Byrd said, trailing off. The 62-year-old said she believed a man shooting had lived next door since she opened the school 10 years ago. “He helped pick up trash... he’s always brought the kids snacks and things like that. He’s always been helpful to me,” she said. “So I was very surprised.”
Byrd called 911 and an operator guided her and the students out the back of the school — which is a converted home in the neighborhood off of Pryor Street near downtown Gastonia.
The children, a 10-year-old and two 14-year-olds who struggle with sensory issues, crawled through the back door and under the deck and waited until police came to escort them away. “They were really scared. They were really brave,” Byrd said. “They wanted me to be OK.”
Another person in the neighborhood, Lanell Hardin, told the Observer that she watched from her home as police tried to negotiate with the suspect. Hardin said the suspect shot out the tires of a car across the street and at a home. People were home, but none were injured, she said.
Bigelow was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling, and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 12:12 PM.
