Stranded motorist accused of murdering Good Samaritan
Police: Suspect's vehicle spun out on icy road; driver shot man who tried to help him
A Good Samaritan was shot and killed in North Carolina when he tried to help a motorist stranded as a massive snowstorm pummeled the East Coast, it was reported Saturday.
Marvin Jacob Lee’s car spun out on an icy, snow-covered road in Bandys around 5:20 p.m. Friday, Catawba County Sheriff Roy Reid told the Charlotte Observer.
Reid identified the victim as Jefferson Heavner, 26, of Newton, N.C.
Heavner was in a passing truck and stopped when he saw Lee, of Claremont, N.C., needed help.
The situation took a dramatic turn when Lee allegedly became belligerent toward Heavner and several neighbors who came out of nearby homes.
“They thought he was drunk and said, ‘let’s just call the law and let them deal with it,’” Reid said.
At that point, Lee allegedly took out a gun and opened fire, the Observer reported.
Heavner was felled by a bullet and then shot “numerous times” as Lee stood over him, Reid told the paper.
Lee returned to his car after the shooting and refused to surrender to deputies. They called in a SWAT team with an armored vehicle.
“They saw he was passed out,” Reid told the paper.
Reid said the SWAT team yanked Lee out of the car and placed him in custody.
He was being held at the Catawba County Jail on a murder charge.
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