One killed, another injured after being shot inside vehicle in Hickory, police say

HICKORY, N.C. (WBTV) - One person was killed and another was injured in a shooting in Hickory early Saturday morning, police said.

According to the Hickory Police Department, the shooting happened around 2:52 a.m. in the 900 block of Highland Avenue NE, just a few blocks from the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University.

Police were called by a citizen who was driving on Highland Avenue and saw a vehicle that had driven off the roadway.

The caller said that two males were inside the vehicle and both had suffered gunshot wounds.

Once at the scene, police found 42-year-old Eric Rhynhart, who had been driving the vehicle, and 20-year-old Khalil Rhynhart inside the car.

Catawba County EMS transported Eric Rhynhart to the hospital, and he is currently in stable condition.

Khalil Rhyhart was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the two men were shot at while traveling north on Lenoir-Rhyne Boulevard. Multiple rounds were fired into the vehicle.

The investigation remains active, and authorities are working to identify potential suspects and to determine a motive for the shooting.

Anyone with information regarding this on-going investigation is encouraged to call the Hickory Police Department at 828-328-5551 or contact Investigator T. Johnson directly at 828-261-2619 or tjohnson@hickorync.gov.