AP-NC Newswatch

Latest North Carolina News:

FATAL SHOOTING-SHERIFF’S DEPUTY
Autopsy: Black man shot by off-duty deputy had 4 wounds
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) – An autopsy says a Black pedestrian shot and killed by an off-duty sheriff’s deputy earlier this year was hit four times during the altercation in a busy North Carolina street. The autopsy released Thursday by North Carolina’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said that 37-year-old pedestrian Jason Walker had wounds to his head, chest, back and thigh in the Jan. 8 shooting. The deputy has said he was defending himself after Walker jumped on the hood of his truck. The shooting prompted protests by demonstrators who questioned authorities’ account of what happened.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR-ABORTION
NC lieutenant gov explains abortion decision decades ago
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina’s lieutenant governor and his wife have appeared in a video saying they decided to get an abortion more than 30 years ago. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson posted the video Thursday, a day after a social media post he wrote 10 years ago about “paying for an abortion” surfaced. Robinson is a recent rising force in North Carolina Republican politics and a vocal abortion opponent. He said it happened “before we were married and before we had kids.” He said it was the hardest decision they’ve ever made and “the wrong one.” Robinson was elected the state’s first Black lieutenant governor in 2020.

SCHOOLS REPORT
NC judge: No explanation for replacement in ‘Leandro’ case
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – A retired judge who has managed longstanding litigation on K-12 education spending in North Carolina says he’s received no direct explanation why he’s not handling the next portion of the case. Superior Court Judge David Lee has been overseeing the lawsuit called “Leandro” since late 2016. But this week state Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby assigned special Superior Court Judge Mike Robinson to handle a review of Lee’s recent decision ordering á$1.75 billion be moved to government agencies for education. A state courts spokesperson says Lee had reached mandatory retirement age. But such older judges aren’t completely barred from presiding over cases.

DRIVER SHOT
Police: Woman shot in forehead while driving in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Police in North Carolina say a woman was shot in the head while driving. WBTV-TV reports that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police say officers were called to South Tryon Street in Charlotte on Tuesday night for a report of an assault with a deadly weapon. Police say the woman was shot in the forehead while driving in her vehicle, but her injuries were not considered life-threatening. Police say it appears that the woman was struck by a stray round and that it wasn’t a targeted shooting.

ELECTION 2022-SENATE-BUDD
Budd runs 1st ad in Senate primary; another PAC pans McCrory
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ted Budd is running his first primary election commercial statewide. The congressman is highlighting his endorsement from former President Donald Trump in the ad that was widely dispersed starting Wednesday. It also portrays Budd as tough on illegal immigration. Budd’s campaign says it will spend about $150,000 on the commercial over the next week. The ad got rolled out on the same day an independent expenditure committee called Conservative Outsider PAC planned to begin television ads opposing Budd rival Pat McCrory. The former governor and Budd are among 14 candidates seeking the GOP nomination in the May 17 primary.

INTRUDER-POLICE SHOOTING
Police: Officer finds 2 struggling over gun, fires shots
BURLINGTON, N.C. (AP) – Police in North Carolina say two men were taken to medical facilities after an officer who found them struggling over a gun fired shots. Burlington police say officers were called early Wednesday to a home where a resident reported finding an intruder acting erratically. Officers found two residents, a man and woman, leaving the home. Police say they were followed by a man who tackled the male resident, then struggled with him over a firearm. When the pair didn’t comply with officers’ orders, police say an officer fired. The resident and suspect were taken to the hospital. The male resident was treated for injuries consistent with assault and released Wednesday. The suspect remained hospitalized with gunshot wounds.

HIGHWAY-FATAL SHOOTING
Police: NC teen fatally shot in vehicle on Interstate 85
BESSEMER CITY, N.C. (AP) – Police in North Carolina say a teen was killed when someone fired into a vehicle on Interstate 85 during rush hour. News outlets report that Gaston County police say the shooting happened around 5:40 p.m. Tuesday on southbound I-85 near Bessemer City. The road was shut down for several hours. Gaston County police say 19-year-old Uriah Diondreus McCree of Kings Mountain was found “suffering from multiple gunshot wounds” and was taken to a local hospital where he died. Police say it’s not clear what led up to the shooting. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Bessemer City Police.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-LOAN PROGRAM
NC audit: Virus business relief program lacks monitoring
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – A new North Carolina state audit says a nonprofit foundation that received $83 million to lend to small businesses struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t create procedures to ensure the public money was used properly. The performance audit released Wednesday looked at federal coronavirus relief funds the legislature sent to Golden LEAF in 2020 for its Rapid Recovery Loan Program. The foundation’s top leader took issue with the findings from State Auditor Beth Wood’s office. More than 1,250 loans were initiated thanks to the money. Borrowers must certify they’ll use the money properly, but the audit contends little else was done to ensure compliance.