Gold Hill teen was shot in the head after attempted vehicle break-in

Published 10:46 am Tuesday, October 3, 2017

CHINA GROVE — A Gold Hill teenager was shot in the head after he was accused of trying to break into a vehicle in the Deerfield subdivision early Tuesday morning.

The homeowner called 911 to say he had video of a man trying to break into his vehicle, according to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office.

The shooting happened at 5:07 a.m. at an abandoned house at 185 Longfield Drive in the Enochville area of the county, where sheriff’s deputies and and emergency medical crews were sent.

The homeowner, Scott Moose, who lives at 235 Clearfield Drive, said a white man who tried to break in to his vehicle was conscious and talking when authorities arrived.

Authorities identified the man who was shot as Jason Lee Lambert II, 19, of 280 George Brown Road. It appears that once Lambert realized he’d been spotted, he left on foot and headed to his vehicle, which was parked at the abandoned house on Longfield Drive.

The two men got into an exchange and Moose fired one shot from his handgun, which struck Lambert in the head area.

Lambert was taken to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, where he remains for treatment. His injuries are not life-threatening, officials said.

There is no indication that the two men knew each other, said Rowan sheriff’s Capt. John Sifford.

Sifford said there were two other vehicle break-ins in the subdivision just around the corner from where the shooting occurred. Those break-ins were in the 300 block of Clearfield Drive.

The incident is still under investigation.

Investigators will present their findings to the Rowan County District Attorney’s Office to determine possible charges.