North Carolina Shooting Victim Was Hit Accidentally When Partygoer Returned Fire, Officials Say

Investigators use a metal detector to collect evidence at the scene of a mass shooting on June 1, 2025, in Hickory, N.C. Sarah C. Johnson/The Hickory Daily Record via AP

NEWTON, N.C.—A man killed in a shooting at a western North Carolina house party earlier this month that left 11 other people injured was inadvertently shot by a partygoer returning fire at shooters on a nearby hillside, authorities said Tuesday.

Officials won’t pursue criminal charges against the person responsible for the death of Shawn Hood, 58, of Lenoir, said spokesperson Maj. Aaron Turk with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office.