Charges of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill against a man accused of shooting his neighbor during a dispute have been upgraded to murder after the victim died Thursday, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Capt. Jeff Johnson confirmed that Mark Patterson, 46, is now charged with murder following the death of Billy Craig Carter, who was shot on June 19.
According to the Sanford Herald (subscription required), the men lived near one another on Family Farm Lane near Broadway and became involved in a dispute which apparently culminated with Patterson shooting Carter:
According to the release, Mark Christopher Patterson, 46, called 911 at 8:27 p.m. and reported he’d shot another man in his yard at 14 Family Farm Lane.
When deputies arrived, they found Carter, of 20 Family Farm Lane, lying on the ground by his truck outside Patterson’s home. Carter was flown to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill where he was listed in serious condition.
The release states the shooting stemmed from a verbal altercation earlier in the day at another location in Lee County.
Patterson remains in the Lee County Jail, now without bond.
