NASH COUNTY, NC — A Spring Hope man, Zachary Bryant, was arrested Friday night after a teenager was shot in the head during a possible theft in Nash County.
Around 10 p.m., deputies from the Nash County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from Bryant, who reported that someone had stolen from his vehicle on Savage Road. Bryant explained that he had been inside his home when his dogs began barking. When he went outside to investigate, he saw two light-skinned males leaving his truck and getting into a red vehicle near the intersection of NC Highway 581 and Savage Road.
After going back inside his home, Bryant dressed and grabbed a handgun. He then noticed his toolbox had been opened, and some of his tools were missing. Shortly thereafter, Bryant saw a car matching the description of the vehicle he had seen earlier.
As the vehicle turned onto Savage Road, deputies said Bryant fired multiple shots at the car from the shoulder of the road, aiming to disable the vehicle. However, Bryant’s shots hit the 15-year-old driver in the head.
The teenager, who was critically injured, was transported to WakeMed for emergency treatment.
Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone emphasized, “Property is never an excuse to use deadly force.” Bryant was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and inflicting serious injury.
Along with the 15-year-old driver, three other teenagers—a 16-year-old, a 14-year-old, and the injured teen—were in the vehicle at the time of the shooting. Due to North Carolina state law, the juveniles will not be identified, and charges against them are still pending.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are reviewing the events leading up to the shooting.
