A 20-year-old Morganton man has died after being shot in the head during an early-morning incident in Lenoir, and the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office says no arrests have been made as detectives work to piece together what happened. Deputies responded to the 4800 block of Grandin Road around 12:45 a.m. Saturday and found the victim with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. He was airlifted to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries and died shortly afterward.
The victim has been identified as Michael Deandre Cowling Jr., according to whky.com, which reported deputies located him suffering from the gunshot wound at approximately 12:45 a.m. The Caldwell County Sheriff's Office confirmed the homicide investigation in a Facebook post Saturday evening, noting Cowling was airlifted with life-threatening injuries before he died.
Conflicting Accounts of the Scene
Accounts of the circumstances surrounding the shooting differ slightly between outlets. The station's report describes deputies responding to a shooting in the 4800 block of Grandin Road without further detail on the setting, while qcnews.com reported that the shooting took place at a party in that same block around 12:45 a.m. Saturday. Neither account has been independently reconciled, and no additional details about the gathering, its host, or its size have been verified.
At this time, no arrests have been made in connection with Cowling's death, per the same account from whky.com. Detectives are actively investigating the case and are asking for the public's assistance in gathering information, urging anyone who attended the party or who has information about the incident to come forward.
How to Submit Tips
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office at 828-758-2324. Tipsters can also reach Lenoir-Caldwell Crime Stoppers at 828-758-8300, which allows anonymous submissions and pays cash rewards for information that helps solve crimes.
Sheriff Kevin Bean and staff with the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office extended their thoughts and prayers to Cowling's family and loved ones following his death. The investigation remains active, and no further updates on a suspect or motive have been released.
