NCSU student accused of shooting cars, homes on I-40 in Raleigh appears before a judge
The N.C. State student charged after gunshots were fired into eight cars and four houses in Raleigh between Monday and Thursday appeared before a judge for the first time on Friday.
Andrew Thomas Graney made a first appearance in court via a video feed, wearing an orange and white jail uniform and calmly addressing District Court Judge Debra Sasser.
The 23-year-old senior anthropology major, of Kentford Court, faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling or vehicle. All 12 of the shootings took place in the southwest corner of Raleigh on or near Interstate 40.
On Friday, at the district attorney’s urging, Sasser denied Graney a bond, ensuring the student will stay behind bars unless another judge allows his release.
”This is one of those cases that put fear in the heart of the entire community,” Sasser said. “I had colleagues texting me, ‘Don’t go on I-40,’ and I’m sure many in the community had them as well.”
Assistant District Attorney Stacy Newton called Graney’s case “an absolutely senseless and random series of acts of violence that really put this community on edge.”
Newton added that police are still trying to establish a motive for the shootings, which remains unknown.
Graney is scheduled to meet with a public defender later Friday.
How police tracked down Graney
Raleigh police tracked down the suspect in a week-long shooting spree after surveillance camera footage showed his Hyundai Sonata at one of the houses hit by gunfire, on Centennial Ridge Way, court records said.
Officers then analyzed cell tower data and learned the same Hyundai had been at five of the shooting locations, where spent shell casings from a .45-caliber handgun had been found.
Warrants now show that police seized a .45-caliber handgun, spent casing and a box of ammunition while searching Graney’s house on Kentford Court and his 2015 Hyundai Sonata.
Graney remained in Wake County Jail Friday.
A second person who was detained Thursday was released and not charged, according to police.
When reached by phone Friday afternoon, Graney’s mother declined to speak to The N&O.
Shootings on, near I-40 in Raleigh
Police charged Graney after shots were fired into eight cars and four houses between Monday and Thursday, all of them in the southeast corner of Raleigh on or near Interstate 40.
The first shooting happened Monday on I-40 between Chapel Hill Road and Cary Towne Boulevard, where a bullet passed through the passenger door and hit the female driver in both legs.
Officers found a spent .45-caliber shell on the shoulder of the highway, court records said, and they now believe it came from a moving vehicle.
Three more cars were struck by gunfire Wednesday, and police recovered .45-caliber casings at Trinity Road and Gorman Street.
Ballistic tests later showed all five shell casings matched, court records said, leading police to confirm the shootings were connected.
Timeline of shootings
Here’s a timeline of the shootings, according to the Raleigh Police Department.
Monday
▪ on I-40 near Cary Towne Boulevard. One car was struck with a victim was shot in the leg.
▪ on I-40 near Buck Jones Road. No one was injured in the single car that was struck.
Wednesday
▪ on the 2400 block of Centennial Ridge Way. One house was hit with no one injured.
▪ on the 3200 block of Shire Lane. One house was struck and no one was hurt.
▪ on I-40 near Trinity Road. One car; no injuries.
▪ on I-40 near Avent Ferry Road. One car hit; no injuries.
▪ on I-40 near Cary Towne Boulevard; One vehicle hit; no injuries.
▪ on Jones Franklin Road near Capital Center Drive. One car hit; no injuries.
▪ on the 2000 block of Wolf Tech Lane. Two houses hit; no injuries.
Thursday
▪ on the 1500 block of Trailwood Drive; two cars hit, no injuries.
Reporter Virginia Bridges contributed.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This story was originally published November 8, 2024 at 12:16 PM.