New details in Maple Hill shooting that left one person dead

MAPLE HILL, NC (WWAY) — The man accused in a shooting that left one person dead and two others injured made his first court appearance in Pender County on Tuesday.

67-year-old Jesse Conroy Watkins is charged with one count of murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Family members said Watkins shot one of his friends, his nephew, and a cousin of the nephew in the 1100 block of Maple Hill School Road early Tuesday morning.

One of the people shot died from their injuries.

The two surviving victims were shot through the window of a house owned by the nephew.

Watkins is being held in the Pender County Jail under no bond. His next court date will be on November 13th.

At this point, the motive for this shooting is unknown.