Orange County murder suspect said he accidentally shot a man, according to 911 call
An Orange County man charged with second-degree murder alleges that he shot and killed another man Wednesday night by accident, according to 911 calls.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to a residence at the 1000 block of Ferguson Road just before 2 p.m. on Dec. 27 after Darron Downey, 54, reported that he had shot a man.
“I just accidentally shot somebody,” a man identifying himself as Downey told a 911 dispatcher, according to audio recordings requested by The News & Observer. “Please hurry.”
The victim, Lee André Foster, 59, was shot during a fight, according to authorities. Foster died from a single gunshot.
“Dre, Dre, come on, man!” Downey can be heard saying on the phone repeatedly before sirens could be heard arriving. He was arrested by Sheriff’s deputies on the scene.
Downey and Foster knew each other and lived at different Chapel Hill addresses on the same road in unincorporated Orange County.
Downey was being held without bail until his first court appearance Thursday afternoon.
Second-degree murder is different from first-degree murder in that it is not a premeditated act, among other factors.
Anyone with any information about the shooting is asked to call Investigator Nazworth at 919-245-2960 at the Sheriff’s Office.
This story was originally published December 27, 2023 at 7:05 PM.