Wilmington gang member charged with May shooting outside club

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man has been arrested and charged for the shooting outside the Wilmington Sportsman Club a month ago that seriously injured a 33-year-old man.

Wilmington Police say US Marshals arrested validated gang member Kolton James Thompson, 27, around 1 p.m. today in the 1500 block of Moore Plaza. Police say he was taken into custody without incident.

Detectives charged Thompson with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and possession of a firearm by a felon.

The shooting happened around 2 a.m. on Sunday, May 7 at the Sportsman Club on Castle Street. The victim was taken in a privately-owned vehicle to New Hanover Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for a gunshot wound and later released.

Thompson is in the New Hanover County Jail under a $130,000 bond.

Records show Thompson’s criminal history stretches back to 2008, including convictions for drugs, larceny and carrying a concealed weapon.

Thompson was charged in 2013 for attempted murder after a shooting near Creekwood. He told WWAY at the time he knew nothing about the crime. He admitted he was a member of the Bloods gang, but had changed his ways to become what he called a family man.

In 2014, Thompson was charged in connection with a running gun battle with another man on Dawson Street.