Road-rage argument escalates into deadly shooting in popular tourist town, NC cops say
A road-rage dispute escalated into a deadly shooting in a popular North Carolina tourist destination, officials said.
Justin Wayne Newberry, 38, was found lying on a highway after he was shot. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a week after his daughter was born, according to the Boone Police Department and an online obituary.
Now, days after the shooting, officers in the mountain town are conducting interviews, reviewing evidence and preparing to check with the district attorney about possible charges, police wrote in an Aug. 14 news release.
“We are saddened that this terrible situation has happened in Boone,” Police Chief Andy Le Beau wrote. “We extend our condolences to the family and friends of Justin Newberry. This is a very serious investigation, and we are working with our prosecutor’s office to get them the information they need.”
Officers were called to the shooting scene at about 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 11. The shooting was reported near a Bojangles fast-food restaurant on Blowing Rock Road, also known as U.S. highways 221 and 321.
Police said the shooting stemmed from an isolated road-rage incident but didn’t share specifics with McClatchy News in a phone interview or their news release.
Newberry, a Boone resident, was shot once and taken to Watauga Medical Center. He is remembered as a dad who recently welcomed a daughter into the world.
“He was so proud of his brand-new baby girl, who turned one week old on the day he passed,” a post on the Hampton Funeral & Cremation Service website said.
Meanwhile, police said the person accused of shooting Newberry was “cooperating with law enforcement investigators.”
Boone — a popular mountain town — is home to Appalachian State University and roughly 85 miles west of Winston-Salem.
This story was originally published August 15, 2023 at 6:19 AM with the headline "Road-rage argument escalates into deadly shooting in popular tourist town, NC cops say."
