GASTONIA, N.C. — Two more shootings - one of them deadly - are now being investigated in Gastonia, just hours after a woman was killed in an apparent shootout with officers.
Gastonia Police Department, with help from the Kings Mountain Police Department, took 24-year-old David McDowell into custody Monday afternoon. McDowell is accused of killing his 19-year-old girlfriend, later identified as Zanayah White, on Saturday. Officers said it happened along Dix Street, south of West Garrison Boulevard. McDowell reportedly was involved in an argument with her when he shot her.
Roger Hunter was a friend and colleague of White's and shared moments they spent together before her death. He remembered spending time with her son, too.
"She a very caring person," Hunter said. "She used to bring him up to work. We’ve had birthday parties. First, I couldn’t believe it. I was hoping it was an accident, and then when I found out the actual information, it tore my heart apart.”
Sa'idah Sudan runs a domestic violence shelter in Mecklenburg County. She said the reported news about White's death didn't entirely surprise her, but it still broke her heart.
"It’s getting worse; it’s getting out of hand," Sudan said.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in three women and one in four men have experienced some form of physical violence by a partner. Sudan said there are tangible steps city and county leaders can take to help victims more.
"There needs to be more shelters," Sudan mentioned. "There are about 3,000 animal shelters, [and] there’s only 1,500 across the U.S. of domestic violence shelters."
McDowell is set to face a judge Tuesday.
White's case was a part of a violent weekend in Gastonia. Police said another shooting unfolded nearby on Adams Avenue. A man was reportedly shot in the face around the same time White was killed. That victim is being treated at CaroMont Regional Medical Center.
Earlier in the day, Gastonia Police said officers responded to a "violent domestic situation" on South King Street, close to where these two other shootings unfolded. Chief Trent Conard said two officers found an armed woman on the scene when they arrived. They tried to get her to put her guns down, but said she, instead, took aim at them.
One officer was wounded and hospitalized, and the woman - who has not yet been identified - was killed after an exchange of gunfire.
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