A man was found with a gunshot wound lying in the front doorway of a home on B and D Avenue in Morganton on Tuesday, prompting an investigation that led the next day to deputies and the Burke County SWAT Team raiding a nearby address and arresting a 48-year-old neighbor. Seua Sarath now faces two felony charges and is being held without bond while the investigation remains ongoing.
According to wbtv.com, deputies said they found a man with a gunshot wound lying in the front doorway of a home on B and D Avenue, off Bethel Road. The man was taken to a hospital, though his condition was not immediately released, the station reported. Burke County EMS responded to the scene and transported the victim to a local medical facility for treatment, per WHKY.
Deputies Zero In on a B and D Avenue Address
The Burke County Sheriff's Office opened an investigation into the shooting, and the case moved quickly. The following day, the station's report notes, deputies and detectives, with assistance from the Burke County SWAT Team, executed a search warrant tied to the case. Hours later, the sheriff's office said it had arrested Sarath in connection with the shooting.
Sarath was charged with felony discharge of a weapon into occupied property and felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, as reported by wbtv.com. Under North Carolina law, a person who assaults another with a deadly weapon, with intent to kill, and inflicts serious injury is punished as a Class C felon, according to North Carolina General Statute § 14-32. A separate statute, G.S. § 14-34.1, addresses anyone who willfully or wantonly discharges or attempts to discharge a firearm at occupied property.
No Bond, Court Date Set
He was denied bond, and his initial court appearance was scheduled for the day after he was arrested, per the same account from WHKY. The outlet reported that the investigation remained ongoing as of its publication, with no further details released on what led to the shooting.
Neither outlet has reported the victim's identity, age, or current medical condition, and it remains unclear whether investigators recovered a weapon during the search. For now, Burke County authorities have not said what sparked the gunfire or offered additional detail on what detectives found when they moved in on the B and D Avenue address.
