Man fatally shot before flight at North Carolina airport

GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina man is accused of shooting and killing another man outside a small airport.

Citing a Greenville police release, news outlets report 52-year-old Joseph Pate died at the scene outside Pitt-Greenville Airport early Sunday. Airport Director Betty Stansbury says Pate was planning on departing on the 7 a.m. American Airlines flight to Charlotte.

John Reid (Photo: Pitt County Detention Center)

Police have charged 49-year-old John Reid with first-degree murder in Pate’s death. He was taken into custody shortly after the shooting around 6 a.m. Police say the two men knew each other, but offered no further details.

The airport canceled the 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. outbound flights. In addition to the airport’s general aviation sector, American Airlines flies to and from Charlotte.

The investigation is ongoing. It’s unclear whether Reid has a lawyer.