Late Saturday evening, Union County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to a home in the 2900 block of Bobwhite Circle in Wingate, NC to investigate a shooting that had just occurred. Deputies arrived at the home and began to provide medical assistance to a 19-year-old victim suffering from a single gunshot wound. The victim was transported from the scene for critically needed medical care and is still recovering from the injuries sustained during this incident. 

Detectives with the UCSO’s Criminal Investigations Bureau and UCSO Crime Scene Investigators were called to the scene for additional resources and assistance. During the initial investigation, detectives conducted numerous interviews with those involved and crime scene investigators cataloged and collected various items of evidence found at the scene. In the days following the shooting, detectives and crime scene investigators relentlessly pursued all known leads, including the analysis and testing of the evidence collected at the scene. During the in-house analysis of the evidence conducted just days after the shooting, UCSO latent print examiners were able to identify a potential suspect after matching his fingerprint to a fingerprint left at the scene. After the forensic identification was made, UCSO detectives continued to conduct follow-up interviews and collected additional evidence which ultimately confirmed the identity of the suspect in this case as 22-year-old Devin R. Staton of Marshville, NC. UCSO detectives obtained a warrant for Staton’s arrest for the offense of Felony Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill Inflicting Serious Injury and he was taken into custody yesterday evening upon his surrender at the UCSO Administrative Office. Staton remains in custody at this time and has a secured bond of $500,000.00. 

Sheriff Eddie Cathey adds “This senseless act of violence was perpetrated by a suspect who showed no regard for human life. His attempts to avoid accountability for this violent crime vanished when our team of dedicated detectives and crime scene investigators arrived at the scene and began collecting vital evidence. The UCSO Crime Laboratory Division’s ability to analyze forensic evidence in-house quickly led to a suspect identification within days, not weeks or months, and ultimately helped provide the evidence needed to get a violent offender off our local streets”. 

 Point of contact for this press release is Lt. James Maye (704)506-6843