A 55-year-old Conover father is facing a felony charge after Catawba County deputies say he shot his 21-year-old son during a domestic dispute at a home near Conover. Mark Jefferson Benge was taken into custody at the scene and is now held without bond, accused of shooting his son with intent to kill.
According to a Catawba County Sheriff's Office press release, deputies responded to a domestic shooting at a residence on Noah's Path, an unincorporated area off County Home Road near Springs Road. Deputies charged Benge with felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, according to the same release. As reported by WCNC, the sheriff's office says the motive behind the shooting was not immediately known.
Son Airlifted to Charlotte Trauma Center
Court documents relayed in reporting by WSOC-TV journalist Dave Faherty indicate Benge allegedly used a Kel-Tec semi-automatic 9mm pistol to shoot his son, identified as 21-year-old Alex, in the abdomen. First responders received the emergency call around 2:15 p.m. Saturday, per that reporting. The younger Benge was airlifted to Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, where he underwent emergency surgery and was listed in critical but stable condition, the report states.
Atrium Health describes the Charlotte hospital, also known as CMC Main, as an 874-bed facility that serves as the region's only designated Level 1 Trauma Center, which explains why the victim was flown nearly 50 miles from Catawba County for specialized care. WCNC reports that sheriff's deputies described the son as being in stable condition following the shooting. The Catawba County Sheriff's Criminal Investigations Division is investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting.
No Bond Under State Law
Benge is being held without bond and is due in court Monday, according to WCNC's reporting. That status traces back to North Carolina's Pretrial Integrity Act, a 2023 state law that bars magistrates from setting pretrial release conditions for high-level violent felonies like assault with intent to kill, instead requiring a district or superior court judge to make that call. The law amended N.C.G.S. § 15A-533 to give judges sole discretion over pretrial release for specific violent offenses.
The charge Benge faces, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, is classified as a Class C felony under North Carolina General Statute § 14-32(a). Per FindLaw, a conviction on that charge carries a statutory minimum sentence ranging from 44 to 98 months, with a maximum possible sentence of 231 months, depending on the defendant's prior record.
Conover Sits in a County With Recent Gun Violence
The unincorporated area around Conover falls under the jurisdiction of the Catawba County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Don Brown, according to county government records. Conover itself is a city of roughly 8,580 residents, per Data USA, making it the third-most populous municipality in Catawba County behind Hickory and Newton.
The case adds to a string of violent firearm prosecutions in the county this year. Hoodline reported this past week that a Newton man was sentenced to up to 9 years after pleading guilty to firing into an occupied Hickory apartment following an arrest made in Conover. Earlier this year, Hoodline also covered a Catawba County prosecution stemming from a June 2025 backyard pool party shooting in the Mountain View community that left one person dead and 11 others wounded, with investigators estimating at least 80 rounds were fired.
For now, key questions remain open. The exact motive behind the shooting has not been disclosed, and it is not yet known whether additional charges could be filed depending on how the younger Benge's recovery progresses at the Charlotte hospital. Benge's initial court appearance is scheduled for Monday.
-4.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)