A 24-year-old Sampson County man remained jailed under a $100,000 bond Friday afternoon, charged with shooting into a Royal Lane apartment Thursday night, leading law enforcement authorities on a short chase and then, when in custody, spitting on one of the arresting officers.
No one was injured in the incident, but Edward Micah Howard, 1208 Bearskin Road, Salemburg, was taken into custody and charged with multiple felony offenses, including two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, one count of discharging a firearm into a occupied dwelling, one count of resisting arrest, one count assault on a law enforcement officer, one count injury to personal property and one count possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to acting police Chief Donald Edwards, the incident began around 6:15 p.m. when officers responded to a shots fired call at Royal Lane.
The suspect, he said, was armed with a handgun and had fled on foot toward the back of the apartments where officers quickly assembled, turning one of their K9 officers loose to track the man.
“The canine,” Edwards said, was able to trail the person toward U.S. 421.”
Officers, anticipating the suspect might flee toward the Dogwood Circle area of Clinton, headed to that vicinity where they took Howard into custody without incident.
Edwards said officers took Howard back to the Police Department for questioning and noted that the suspect was “uncooperative and combative,” causing minor damage to the interview room and spitting on one of the officers present.
Howard, the chief said, was then taken to the Magistrate’s Office where he was charged and jailed.
Although officers are unclear about the motive for the shooting, Edwards did note that it was believed that Howard and the victim knew one another. “Based on the information we have at this time, we believe there has been an ongoing argument between Mr. Howard and one of the tenants at the apartment,” he said.
No further information was available at this time. If anyone has information on this incident, they are asked to call the Clinton Police Department at 910-592-3105 or they may text their information anonymously using the TIP411 system by texting ‘tipcpd’ followed by their message to 847411.
Other arrests
In addition to Howard, police reports show the following unrelated arrests have been made by Clinton officers over the past few days:
• Alan Smith, 34, arrested July 12, and charged with driving while license revoked, expired registration, no insurance, fictitious/altered tag and no registration;
• Jeffrey Ross Dixon, 21, 1002 Bradshaw St., arrested July 13, and charged with sell marijuana, deliver marijuana and possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana.