Sheriff’s Office: 3-year-old boy at home when mom was killed

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal shooting near Monkey Junction.

Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Jerry Brewer said the shooting on Woods Edge Road was the result of a domestic situation.

Neighbors on Woods Edge Road say nothing ever really happens in their quiet community.

“The worst thing we have here is street flooding every now and then,” Jim Brincefield said.

That is until now.

“We are conducting a homicide investigation,” New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon said.

Lt. Jerry Brewer with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office said deputies found a 34-year-old woman shot to death and a 48-year-old man in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the face at 5229 Woods Edge Road around 2:00 Tuesday afternoon. He said the woman’s three-year-old son was in the backyard.

“Very disturbing,” Brincefield said. “Very disturbing.”

While many of the neighbors are in shock, McMahon said they have nothing to worry about.

“Everything at this point appears to have been contained within the house so we are not looking for anybody that could be a threat to the community,” McMahon said.

Brewer said they believe it was a domestic situation, but the relationship between the man and the woman is still unknown. Brewer said the 3-year-old boy has been turned over to his grandmother.

“I hate it for whoever the victim is,” Brincefield said. “You know, you live by the sword and you die by the sword.”

Many of the neighbors are still left with unanswered questions, while also hoping nothing about their quiet neighborhood is going to change.

“I hope not, but again like I said earlier, sometimes you just never really know your neighbors,” Kelly said.

The identity of the woman killed and the man injured have not been released yet. Earlier this evening deputies were trying to notify family members and execute a search warrant.

Stay with WWAY for the latest details on the investigation.