Police are still searching for the suspect in a Fayetteville shooting that hospitalized a man identified as Everett Payne on Monday afternoon (Feb. 24).
The white 33-year-old man suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the shoulder after fighting with a black man over a gun, according to Fayetteville police. He was taken to Washington Regional Medical Center and was released Monday night, according to police.
Emergency crews responded at 3:14 p.m. to 4378 Chaparral Lane just off of Wedington Avenue, where they encountered the victim at the front of the home.
"His initial statement to officers was that a black male had entered into his home armed with a handgun," said Sgt. Craig Stout with the Fayetteville Police Department. "There was a struggle for a handgun in one of the back bedrooms."
Stout said police believe the suspect is still armed. Investigators aren't sure if the victim or suspect knew each other. However, Stout said, "historically speaking in previous home invasions in Fayetteville, the victim and offender knew each other."
Officers executed a search warrant Monday night on the home and began searching for and investigating evidence inside.
Police described the suspect as six feet tall to six-foot-two with an athletic build. He wore a black or blue ski mask, along with light blue jeans and a gray sweatshirt with a design on the front, police said.
Cindy Elizarrares lives nearby and said the shooting is a scary situation for the normally-quiet neighborhood.
"The person who shot the man could possibly come to my house and do the same thing to me," she said. "It could happen to anybody else."
Patricia Gertiser has lived on Chaparral Street for almost 20 years, and said she is surprised by the incident.
"I was totally shocked because it just doesn't seem to fit in with our neighborhood," Gertiser said. "It's scary because you just don't know what happened to his guy, where he went. You don't even know---it could be a neighbor. It could be someone here in the neighborhood."
