Columbus County man charged with attempted murder in gas station shooting

TABOR CITY, NC (WWAY) — A Columbus County man is accused of trying to shoot and kill a man at the Vasco gas station on Fair Bluff Road in Tabor City.

It happened June 2 at 9:55 p.m.

According to the Tabor City Police Department incident report,  a gray or silver Nissan Maxima pulled into the parking lot with two men inside. Those men kept watching another man who was walking in the parking lot. The car pulled away and the man walked into the store and bought something. The gas station employee then followed the customer to the door to lock up at closing time.

The report states that as soon as the customer walked out the door, the two men in the car started shooting at him.

Police arrived and saw where bullets struck the side of a gas pump, a metal cage of the Sunoco racing fuel, and the door where the employee was standing.

Three shell casings were found in the road in front of the store.

Patrick Wesley Brown, Jr., 26, was arrested Monday. He faces several charges:

• Discharging a firearm in city limits
• Discharging weapon into an occupied building
• Assault with a deadly weapon intent to kill inflicting serious injury
• Attempted first degree murder

Brown is in jail under $300,500.00 bond.

No word yet on the second suspect.