A North Carolina man is accused of fatally shooting his neighbor after a minor fender bender escalated into a deadly confrontation on Labor Day.
Jaelen Drum, 25, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of 57-year-old Thomas Lark in Mount Holly, a suburb of Charlotte.
Police said officers were called to the 2000 block of Grandhaven Drive at around 8:42 p.m. on Monday after reports of a shooting.
When officers arrived, they found Lark dead from gunshot wounds near Drum’s vehicle.
Drum stayed at the scene and was taken into custody.
Investigators said the confrontation began after the two men were involved in a minor car accident.
Drum has claimed he acted in self-defense.
“I do apologize,” Drum said during his arraignment, according to WJZY. “I was just protecting myself, and I need to see my wife and my baby.”
But police rejected his self-defense claim and charged him with murder.
Lark’s wife, Julie Lark, said she was inside their home when she heard a loud noise outside.
At first, she thought it might have been fireworks.
About 10 minutes later, a neighbor came pounding on her door.
“Miss Julie, you got to come now. Mr. Thomas, he’s been shot,” the neighbor reportedly told her.
Julie rushed outside and found her husband lying in the street near their home.
She said she then spoke directly with Drum.
According to Julie, Drum told her, “I told your husband to back up and he didn’t back up, so I shot him.”
The tragedy was especially shocking because Thomas had reportedly only gone out to buy a few items for a Labor Day cookout.
“I haven’t processed this,” Julie told WJZY. “All I know is my husband went out to get some tomatoes, onions and hamburger buns and 10 minutes later he was gone.”
Thomas spent nearly 15 years working as a reporter and editor for the Lincoln Herald.
Publisher Jay Dellinger said Thomas covered everything from local government and schools to sports and community stories that otherwise might never have received attention.
“Some stories involved major issues affecting our area,” Dellinger wrote in a tribute. “Others were about an individual or organization that might never have received much public attention without someone taking the time to tell their story.”
Julie described her husband’s death as a “senseless act.”
She remembered Thomas as “the gentlest, most kindest soul you could ever meet” and said he loved watching hummingbirds outside their home.
He would have turned 57 on Saturday.
Drum remains in the Gaston County Jail without bond.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 29.
