CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. -- Authorities responded to the scene of a standoff Monday following a shooting outside a church in Shelby. Police gathered around 2 p.m. at Hope Community Church located at 1114 S. Lafayette Street.
Officials on the scene told NBC Charlotte one person was taken to the hospital, and the suspect was barricaded inside a home.
"He was armed, and he was not coming out," an officer said.
Investigators said several hours into the standoff, the suspect put an AR-15 outside the home, but it's unclear whether that was the weapon used in the shooting.
After more than seven hours, the standoff ended peacefully around 8:30 p.m. The suspect was handcuffed and taken to the hospital for a leg injury.
Once everything was under control, investigators told NBC Charlotte the suspect got into a fight with his grandfather and shot him twice as he walked away from the house. The victim got into an SUV and crashed it into the church a few yards away. He was taken to the hospital for surgery.
"It’s just heartbreaking to see something like this happen," said neighbor Christopher Hopper.
Authorities said the suspect was a veteran in his late 20s but did not release his name as of 11 p.m.
"We’ve dealt with him before," Shelby Police Chief Jeff Ledford said.