Person arrested after 1 killed, 11 hurt in Catawba County mass shooting: What we know

CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - A person was taken into custody on Tuesday evening in connection with a deadly mass shooting at a Catawba County house party, according to the sheriff’s office.

UPDATE: Catawba County mass shooting update: New charges, alleged party hosts identified, more

On Tuesday, June 3, 20-year-old Garon Killian of Lenoir was taken into custody in connection with a mass shooting that occurred at a house party on Walnut Acres Drive on Sunday, June 1.

Killian was charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder, officials said.

Killian was expected to appear in court on Wednesday, June 4.

Officials said no additional information will be released Tuesday night.

One person was killed, a 58-year-old man, and 11 others were injured either in the shooting or fleeing from it, officials said.

Details about the shooters, motive behind the shooting, the party, and the victims were still not entirely clear as of Tuesday, June 3. Major Aaron Turk with the sheriff’s office held a press conference at around 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

Below is information we learned during Tuesday’s press conference.

Shooting happened during promoted pool party

A shooting was reported at around 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, June 1 at a home on Walnut Acres Drive -- which is located near the Mountain View community south of Hickory.

Authorities initially said there were reports of 12 people being shot during a party. Officials called the event a mass shooting.

One person was killed in the shooting. Eleven others were injured, though it wasn’t immediately clear how many of them had been shot.

---> More: 1 victim still hospitalized after mass shooting at Catawba County house party, FBI says

Officials said Tuesday that the party was promoted on social media. The party’s theme appeared to be focused on the swimming pool in the home’s backyard.

Specific details about who promoted the party and how were not provided on Tuesday.

Those behind the party were reportedly charging attendees to enter. Officials did not confirm on Tuesday what the cost of entry was.

Man killed was ‘helping with party’s promotion’

One person was killed in the shooting, authorities have maintained.

That person was identified on Monday as Shawn Patrick Hood, a 58-year-old man from Lenoir.

Officials said Tuesday that Hood was at the party and “helping with the party’s promotion.”

Other than that, officials were not yet sure about Hood’s involvement, Major Turk said Tuesday. It was not said how Hood was allegedly helping to promote the house party.

It also remained unclear Tuesday whether the homeowner was involved with or aware of the party. Officials said they weren’t sure whether the home or pool were rented out for the party.

Partygoers also fired shots

Investigators said on Sunday that at least 80 shots were fired during the shooting at the house party. Law enforcement were still conducting their investigation of the crime scene, so that number could change or increase.

Officials said Tuesday that the shooting began from an elevated position in a neighbor’s yard. It was believed that shots were fired at the party from that position.

It wasn’t said how many alleged shooters were firing from the elevated position.

Major Turk confirmed Tuesday that people attending the party were also armed, and returned fire on the original shooter or shooters.

“Whether it was a direct return of fire, I can’t confirm as I stand here,” Turk said Tuesday. “But both sides of that situation were shooting.”

It was not immediately clear how many people were believed to have been involved in the actual shooting. Officials did say they were looking for multiple shooters and multiple weapons, including at least one long gun.

It wasn’t clear how many shots were fired by the initial shooter or shooters, and how many were fired by partygoers.

---> More: Parents describe what partygoers saw amid Catawba County mass shooting

Deputies warned of party size amid noise complaint

Authorities reported Sunday that deputies with the sheriff’s office were called to the home on Walnut Acres Drive for a noise complaint for the same party. The noise complaint was called in before the shooting.

Officials previously said they did not believe the noise complaint was at all connected with the deadly shooting.

The deputies that went to the home for the noise complaint reportedly spoke with “controlling parties” at the home and told them to turn the music down. The noise was turned down, Major Turk said on Tuesday.

Turk also said that the deputies warned the “controlling parties at the residence at that time” that the party was getting too big.

The party was on private property and officials didn’t have the authority to shut it down, Turk said.

ALE now part of investigation

The North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement division is now helping with the investigation into the deadly house party shooting, officials said Tuesday.

The division, known as ALE, is focused on investigating underage drinking at the party, the party planners, and “laws that may have been violated along those lines,” Turk said.

It was believed that people under the age of 21 were in attendance at the party. Officials did not provide more specific details about that.

The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office has been investigating the shooting since it happened. The FBI, state investigators, and other local law enforcement agencies have been assisting with the investigation, as well.

The crime scene remained active on Tuesday on Walnut Acres Drive. The crime scene included the entire street, officials said.

What we know about the victims

One man was killed and 11 other people were injured somehow during the shooting, officials said. Authorities had clarified how many of those 11 people had been shot, as of Tuesday.

The people shot and injured in the shooting ranged in age from 16 years old to 58 years old, officials said.

Several people were reportedly hospitalized after the shooting. Only one person was still in the hospital as of Tuesday, officials said.

The identities of the injured people had not been made public by authorities.

Watch Tuesday’s press conference here

You can watch Major Turk’s update from Tuesday in the video player below.

FBI asking for information, photos, videos

Investigators were asking anyone with information about the shooting, or photos or videos related to the shooting, to submit that information and media to the FBI.

Submissions can be made to the FBI online right here, or you can call the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office at 828-464-3112.

Law enforcement were specifically asking any homeowners or business owners in the area to share camera footage from the night of May 31, to the early morning of June 1. Investigators’ area of interest included Walnut Acres Drive, Huffman Farm Road Pittstown Road, and North Carolina Highway 127 South.

The initial map of the area of interest can be found below. Law enforcement said on Tuesday that the area of interest had expanded, but hadn’t provided a new map yet, as of this writing.

---> More: Catawba County residents anxious for arrest after gunmen open fire on house party