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CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. -- Two sheriff's deputies, an 8-year-old girl and her father are recovering after being shot by a man who was angry over the death of his dog.
The gunfire started late Wednesday night in a community northwest of Lenoir on Grandin Road near N.C. 18.
Residents in the neighborhood say Rolland Younce shot his neighbor Tony Moore and Moore's 8-year-old daughter Ashley.
"It was, from what I understand, over a pit bull dog," one neighbor told NewsChannel 36.
Younce was allegedly angry because Moore had shot and killed his dog. Neighbors say Moore shot the dog because it attacked his daughter.
Two Caldwell County deputies were shot when they responded to the scene. Younce was killed in an exchange of gunfire with deputies. His body was found a short distance from his home.
Ashley Moore was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in Winston Salem due to the seriousness of her injuries. Her father was transported to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. The Moore family has asked the hospitals to withhold information on their conditions.
The two deputies -- Marty Robbins and Thomas McManus -- are expected to be OK.
McManus was treated for a gunshot wound to his forearm. He was released from a hospital late Thursday morning.
Robbins remains in stable condition at Carolinas Medical Center. Caldwell County deputies say Robbins was shot in the arm and leg.
The shooting shocked neighbors, but many of the residents told NewsChannel 36 that a battle had been brewing between the two men for some time.
"To me I think it's a little childish," one neighbor said. "The guy should have done something to try to keep the dog in his own yard."
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is in charge of the investigation. Officers say Animal Control removed a dead pit bull from Younce's property. A Chihuahua, which was not harmed, was also taken from the property.
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