Man arrested after Orange County road-rage incident injures 4-year-old in safety seat
Update: “911 calls released in NC road-rage shooting that injured child. What we know so far.”
Sheriff’s deputies charged a 41-year-old man with assault after home-security video recorded part of a road-rage incident in Orange County that injured a 4-year-old child.
Kelly Brandon Long, of Hurdle Mills, was charged early Tuesday morning with four counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Long is accused of firing a weapon several times at a car during an incident in Hillsborough and the surrounding Orange County area.
One of the bullets grazed a 4-year-old boy in a child’s safety seat in the back of his father’s sedan, a news release stated.
Authorities say the bullet caused “a slight burn wound” to the boy’s back, which was treated at the scene.
‘Road rage incidents’
Deputies responded to a gas station on U.S. 70 where a man reported “a series of road rage incidents” with an SUV driver he said had started on N.C. 86, north of Hillsborough, as he and the SUV driver were heading south, according to the release.
A deputy found shell casings on Miller Road and a resident whose security system had recorded the vehicles as they passed by, according to the release.
“Once Mr. Long’s vehicle stopped following the victim’s car, the toddler’s father pulled into the Shell/Quality Mart on Highway 70,” the release stated.
“Although the driver initially reported no injuries to anyone in his vehicle, deputies located one projectile lodged in the back of the toddler’s safety seat and a corresponding minor injury to the child’s back,” the release continued. “They also located damage to several other places on the vehicle consistent with being stuck by gunfire.”
The release did not say what led to the reported road-rage incidents or how many people were in each vehicle.
Long was placed in the Orange County jail on $50,000 secured bail, with a first court appearance set for Tuesday afternoon.
“Reckless and aggressive driving is dangerous for drivers, passengers, and the general public,” Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in the release. “As motorists, we never know if other drivers have weapons, nor do we know they are able to control themselves when angry. Do not engage. Drive to a safe, well-lit area and call for help.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2022 at 10:21 PM.