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Cullowhee man injured in Sunday shooting incident
By Lynn Hotaling
 A Cullowhee man was shot three times Sunday (June 11) at his College Hill residence.
According to Jackson County Sheriff Jimmy Ashe, Forrest Ames, 22, received one wound to his face and two to his lower or middle torso. He was initially taken to Harris Regional Hospital but was transported on to Asheville’s Mission Hospitals, Ashe said.
Mission declined comment on Ames, though Ashe said Monday it was his understanding that Ames was in stable condition.
The shooting apparently happened around 11:45 a.m. when what Ashe termed an “incomplete” 911 call was made to Jackson County’s dispatch center. Officers responded to the address, 81 College Hill Road, but found no one at home, he said. At about the same time, officers received word of a gunshot victim at the hospital and learned the two were “one and the same,” Ashe said.
Ames was apparently transported to HRH in a private vehicle, Ashe said.
The shooting is believed to be the result of a dispute between Ames and the suspect in the incident, Melanie Denise McKinney, 20, who is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and inflicting serious injury with intent to kill, Ashe said.
As of Monday, McKinney remained in jail under a $25,000 bond, Ashe said.
In the course of the investigation, deputies located some controlled substances and paraphernalia at the Cullowhee residence, Ashe said. The investigation is continuing, and more charges are expected, he said.
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