Clinton Police are investigating a “suspicious” shooting of a man, killed Tuesday afternoon after a day of drinking and fishing with his friend, who brought the man to the Sampson Regional Medical Center emergency room with a fatal gunshot wound.

Clinton Police Department responded to Sampson Regional at 2:38 p.m. Tuesday in reference to the gunshot victim. Officers learned that Willie Murphy, 63, of 308 E. Carter St., Clinton, had been shot in the neck. He was subsequently pronounced dead at the hospital.

The person who drove Murphy to the hospital was Elliott Draughon, who told hospital staff and police that he had been with Murphy all day. The two had been drinking and fishing, according to Draughon. But at the time, he couldn’t tell where they had been, police said in a statement released late Tuesday afternoon.

Draughon further explained that he was messing with a gun while the two were inside his vehicle, and the gun fired. He then drove Murphy to the emergency room. Police said that Draughon could not recall where he was driving from, he recalled traveling on Beaman Street in the area of his residence. Draughon knew he lived on Beaman Street, but did not know the house number.

“He hadn’t lived there long,” Clinton Police Chief Donald Edwards said.

It was around that same area where he threw the gun out of the vehicle, police discovered. Officers canvassed the area and found that Draughon lived at 212 Beaman St., Apt 2. They also discovered a handgun on the sidewalk in the area of 225 Beaman St.

“I would say he was impaired,” said Edwards of Draughon.

The Neighborhood Improvement Team is investigating the shooting as a suspicious death and no charges have yet been brought in connection with the fatal shooting.

If anyone has information regarding this incident, please contact the Clinton Police Department at 910-592-3105. Information may also be given anonymously through the department’s Tip411 system by texting their tip to 847411, starting each message with tipcpd.

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By Chris Berendt

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Reach Managing Editor Chris Berendt at 910-249-4616. Follow the paper on twitter @SampsonInd and like us on Facebook.