Man charged in North Carolina highway shootings will remain in jail for now

RALEIGH, N.C. — A 23-year-old man suspected of shooting at least eight vehicles on a busy North Carolina highway and several homes in recent days, wounding one person, will remain in custody without bond for now, a judge ruled Friday.

Andrew Thomas Graney was arrested Thursday at a home in Raleigh, the state capital. Two dozen law enforcement officers with guns drawn approached the home and later led two people out in handcuffs, WRAL-TV reported. The other person was released without charge, police said.

Graney, 23, is charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with the intent to kill or inflict serious injury and 11 counts of firing a weapon into an occupied vehicle or dwelling, police said in a statement. Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive.

Graney, a senior at North Carolina State University, made his first court appearance on Friday via videoconference for a hearing to set bond and his next court date. He chose to have a court-appointed attorney, Ricky Elmore. Wake County Chief Public Defender Deonte’ Thomas said in an email after the hearing that Elmore has met with Graney, but that the office had no further comment.

Bullet casings found at most of the shooting scenes preliminarily matched the same firearm; Graney's vehicle matched descriptions of a vehicle at some of the locations; and cellphone tower data placed his phone at each of the sites, Wake County Assistant District Attorney Stacy Newton said.

“This was an absolutely senseless and random series of acts of violence,” Newton said.

District Judge Debra Sasser ultimately decided to withhold bond, citing the fact that the shootings took place over four days. A future judge may allow bond, but Graney would need to prove he is not a danger to the public.

“This is one of those cases that put fear in the heart of the entire community,” Sasser said. “I had colleagues tell me, texting me, ‘don’t go on I-40 today.' And I'm sure many other people in the community received that as well.”

Relatives of Graney did not immediately respond to voicemails or emails seeking comment.

Graney's mother, Treka Graney, told WRAL she had not seen her son for several months and he was not raised with guns in the home. “This is not my son,” she said.

“It totally took me off guard,” she said. “It is totally out of character. ... He’s a sweet boy. Everybody loves him. He always stands up straight, he’s very polite. He always follows the rules.”

The shootings, which apparently began Monday, began to get attention after several people reported gunfire on a stretch of Interstate 40 in Raleigh and the suburb of Cary around the Wednesday morning rush, police said. Reports of similar shootings then emerged.

Authorities said eight vehicles were struck, including two on Monday, four on Wednesday and two on Thursday. Four area homes were shot on Wednesday, police said. All were connected, Raleigh's police chief said.

One of the shots struck a woman in the leg early Monday while she was traveling on I-40, police said. Her injuries were not considered life-threatening. Most of the cars that were shot contained only the driver, but one had four occupants, authorities said in court records. People were also in the homes when they were shot, police said.

Investigators believe a Llama .45 Max 1 handgun was used in the shootings, court records show.

Graney's next court appearance is Nov. 27.

The attacks are just the latest highway shootings in the U.S. In Kentucky in September, law enforcement led a massive, multi-day search for a man who shot 12 vehicles and wounded five people on Interstate 75. The man’s remains were later found and identified.