Officers investigate fatal motel shooting

By Carey Phillips

Police Chief Jeff Jamison said officers were called to the Blue Ridge Inn on West Main Street around 2:45 a.m. Friday. When they arrived, they found Joseph John Wyatt, 43, of St. Petersburg, in a room suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.

Wyatt was taken to Harris Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Jamison.

A .22-caliber revolver was found at the scene.

Wyatt, who was employed on a construction project at Western Carolina University, was staying in a room with two other men working on the same project. Jamison said all three men were in the room when officers arrived.

"They're alleging it was self-inflicted," Jamison said of Wyatt's roommates' statements to officers.

As of Wednesday, officers were awaiting results of an autopsy and lab tests to determine if the shooting was accidental. Sgt. Tammy Hooper and Detective John Buchanan are working the case with assistance from the State Bureau of Investigation.

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