Quarrel prompts man to repeatedly shoot his kitchen at 5:30 a.m., NC sheriff says

A festive night for a group of friends turned dangerous when one man got upset and started repeatedly shooting his kitchen, according to investigators in North Carolina.

It happened at 5:30 a.m. Sunday, June 21, at a home in LaGrange, and the suspect’s 2-year-old daughter was among the terrified witnesses, the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office said in court documents.

“Deputies were advised that gunshots had been fired inside a residence. ... Upon entering the home, (they) observed extensive damage throughout the residence,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

“Several residents had attended a party and continued consuming alcohol after returning home. Deputies also discovered that (one man) and others had been shooting firearms throughout the night. ... Deputies located five bullet holes in a kitchen wall and observed blood on the floor.”

The blood was linked to injuries suffered by 36-year-old Roberto Torres Jr., when he became involved in a “physical altercation” with the mother of his 2-year-old child, officials said.

It was determined Torres fired shots into the wall while three adults and the child were inside the home, officials said. A gun was found at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.

Torres has been charged with four counts of felony discharging a firearm to incite fear, one count of misdemeanor domestic violence, and one count of misdemeanor child abuse, officials said.

LaGrange is about a 70-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh.

This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 11:41 AM.