Two dead in shooting
Published 12:00 am Thursday, March 3, 2011
Two men are dead in eastern Rowan County in what appears to have been a murder-suicide, Sheriff Kevin Auten said.
An official ruling on the deaths has not been made, Auten said.
The men who died are Bruce Yount Stewart Jr., 45, of 1174 Trexler Road, and Lester Clay Efird, 63, of 7308 Stokes Ferry Road.
The shootings happened in the front yard of the Trexler Road home. Auten said both men were shot in the chest with a 12-gauge shotgun. Investigators have not identified the man they believe was the shooter.
Auten said authorities are trying to determine exactly why the shootings happened, but that “it appears to be the result of a domestic situation that has been ongoing.”
He said deputies who responded to the shootings told him they have been called to the home in the past for disputes between the two men, possibly as recently as January.
Two people called 911 to report the shootings. One is a relative of Stewart, the other a motorist who was driving by and saw the incident.
The shootings happened around 1:35 p.m. Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived about five minutes later, Auten said.
The State Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the investigation.
