Hiddenite man charged in shooting

A Hiddenite man is facing multiple assault charges following a road rage incident that ended with a shooting in Alexander County on Wednesday. Thomas Richard Smith Jr., 74, is charged with one count each of assault by pointing a gun, assault with a deadly weapon and going armed to the terror of the public, the Alexander County Sheriff 's Office said in a news release.

Around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the Alexander County Sheriff 's Office received a call about shots fired in the parking lot of the Taylorsville Savings Bank on N.



C. Highway 90 in Hiddenite. The caller said two men got into a verbal altercation in the parking lot of the bank, the sheriff 's office said.

One man, identified as Smith, pointed a pistol and shot in the direction of the other man, the sheriff 's office said. Officers arrived to find one of the men in the parking lot of the bank. Smith was arrested and charged.

He is out on bond and is scheduled to appear in Alexander County District Court on Oct. 28. The altercation happened after a road rage incident in Hiddenite.

No injuries or property damage were reported, the sheriff 's office said. The Taylorsville Police Department, NC State Highway Patrol, and NC Probation and Parole assisted with the case, the sheriff 's office said. Smith is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Sarah Johnson is the courts and breaking news reporter for the Hickory Daily Record. Get local news delivered to your inbox!.