Burlington police say a 53-year-old man was found standing in the driveway of a West Burlington home early Saturday morning, moments after officers responded to a shooting that left two men facing felony charges and no bond. Matthew Dale Thompson followed officers' instructions and was taken into custody without incident once they arrived at the 2300 block of May Drive around 3:15 a.m., according to the timeline of the response.
According to Cedar News, officers located Thompson in the driveway of the home and recovered a firearm in his possession. The Burlington Police Department responded to a reported shooting at a home in the area, and as reported by WTVD-TV, officers also found illegal drugs inside the residence. No injuries were reported from the shooting, and police said there is no ongoing threat to the community.
Two Men, Two Very Different Charge Sheets
Thompson now faces three charges tied directly to the gunfire: discharging a firearm within city limits, discharging a firearm into occupied property, and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, per the station's report. The latter two charges carry serious weight under state law. Assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill without inflicting serious injury is classified as a Class E felony under North Carolina General Statutes § 14-32(c), according to Eustache Law. Discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling likewise carries Class E felony status under N.C.G.S. § 14-34.1, a statute Hoodline detailed in its earlier coverage of a downtown Chapel Hill gun scare.
A second man, 39-year-old Christopher Edward Stamps, was charged separately after officers found drugs inside the home. Stamps faces possession of a Schedule I controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, the article notes. Under the North Carolina Controlled Substances Act, N.C.G.S. § 90-95, possessing any Schedule I substance — such as heroin, LSD, or MDMA — is automatically a Class I felony carrying up to 12 to 24 months of potential incarceration, according to Mulligan Attorneys. Drug paraphernalia possession, meanwhile, is a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to 120 days in jail under state law, as detailed by the Tetterton Law Firm.
Both Men Held Without Bond in Graham
Thompson and Stamps are both being held at the Alamance County Detention Center after a magistrate denied bond for each man. Arrested individuals in Burlington are processed at that facility in Graham, where a no-bond determination typically signals either a high-severity felony charge or a judicial order requiring the defendant to stay in custody until a formal court appearance, according to FAPAM. Given the felony weapons and drug charges filed in this case, that outcome tracks with standard local procedure.
A Quiet Ranch-Home Neighborhood, Rattled Before Dawn
The shooting unfolded in Crestwood, a West Burlington residential neighborhood zoned R-15 and made up largely of mid-century single-family brick ranch homes built between 1960 and 1986, according to property records from Realtor.com. The area sits near local schools including Turrentine Middle School and Walter M. Williams High School, underscoring how far the 3:15 a.m. gunfire strayed from anything resembling routine for the block.
The case adds to a string of recent firearm-related investigations in Alamance County. In April, local law enforcement arrested a 23-year-old Burlington resident after a traffic stop on Keck Road turned up a handgun fitted with an illegal machine-gun conversion device along with narcotics, as Hoodline reported in its piece on the Keck Road machine gun stop. The Burlington Police Department also maintains a Crime Analysis Unit, created in 2017 alongside its Aerial Reconnaissance and Tactical Intelligence Center, to track local crime patterns and assist investigations across Alamance County.
Investigation Continues, Tips Sought
Police are still seeking anyone with additional information about the investigation and are asking the public to call the department at (336) 229-3500. Residents can also submit anonymous tips through Alamance County-Wide CrimeStoppers at (336) 229-7100, which offers cash rewards of up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest. Several open questions remain, including the exact relationship between Thompson and Stamps, whether the gunfire targeted specific occupants inside the home, and the specific Schedule I substance recovered during the search.
