|
Sylva police investigate Saturday a.m. shooting
By Carey Phillips
The Sylva Police Department is investigating a shooting that occurred early Saturday morning (Oct. 22) at Hemlock Haven Apartments.
Officers responded to the 4:11 a.m. call on Brownleaf Road off Yellowbird Branch Road, but by the time they arrived the victim had been taken to Harris Regional Hospital by private vehicle, Police Chief Jeff Jamison said.
Richard McAdoo Driver, 30, of Cherokee, was treated at Harris Regional before being transferred to Mission Hospitals in Asheville. He was in stable condition Monday, according to Jamison.
Driver was brought to the apartment of 31-year-old Jeremy Page Harborn by 26-year-old Patrick Martin Mahsetky, the same person who later drove him to the hospital, Jamison said.
“Apparently there had been some past problems with (Harborn and Driver),” Jamison said. “In fact, Driver was an ex-employee of Harborn as a tattoo artist.”
Four people were in the apartment when Driver arrived.
Citing witness accounts, when Harborn answered a knock at the door he was met by Driver, who squirted him in the chest area with lighter fluid, Jamison said. Driver then squirted lighter fluid on 20-year-old Leighia Nicole Hoyle, who was on a couch in the living room, and kept repeating “you owe me,” the chief said.
Harborn picked up a baseball bat, but Driver then set fire to some paper towels and threw them on Casey Franklin Smith, 24, who had been sleeping on a living room love seat.
At that point, Harborn retrieved a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol and fired four rounds, one of which struck Driver in the right side, Jamison said.
Detective Shannon Ashe is in charge of the investigation and is being assisted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation.
Jamison said he could not comment on any possible charges.
|
