A father from North Carolina is facing a murder charge after he fatally shot the driver who hit and killed his teenage son with a truck, police said.
Chad Woods and his son were walking home after running out of gas Monday morning at around 6:30 a.m., Person Country Sheriff Jason Wilborn told reporters. That’s when a vehicle, belonging to the N.C. Department of Corrections, crashed into Woods’ 17-year-old son. The teen died from the impact.
“He was a good person. He was a real good person,” the teen’s brother told local outlet WTVD-TV. “Wanted to be an IT technician. He wanted to be positive in life. He wanted to help people. He was a people person.”
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The driver stopped the truck and called 911 shortly after the crash, which happened along Dink Ashley Road near Timberlake, N.C.
The teen’s father then pulled out a gun and shot the driver, the sheriff’s office said.
Woods tossed the gun into a nearby pond and drove home in the truck, leaving the bodies of his son and the driver behind in the street, according to the sheriff’s office.
Woods was later arrested and charged with second-degree murder and larceny of a motor vehicle for stealing the truck. He is set to appear in court on Aug. 21.
“This is kind of a first. I’ve been to people struck by cars and I’ve been to shootings, but I haven’t ever had this happen at the same time. Sad situation all around, for all the families,” Sgt. Kevin Morris told WTVD-TV.
— with files from The Associated Press