Mayhem in Cherokee Co., NC
Authorities in Cherokee County, North Carolina are investigating a homicide, followed by an arson.
It all began Saturday (10/24) when deputies got a report of a trespasser on an ATV near the home of James and Carolyn McKinley of Boiling Springs Road. By the time they got there they learned that Gregory Oliver Abernathy had been shot and killed during a struggle with James Mckinley. No arrests were made at the time.
Then on Wednesday night deputies were investigating a reported automobile accident on Grindstone Lane in which a man fled the area of the accident carrying a shotgun.
While on the scene of the wreck, deputies saw smoke rising from a nearby mountain top.
When they got there they found it was the home of James McKinley who had been involved in the the Saturday shooting incident.
The home was a total loss.
Cherokee County Sheriff’s Detectives along with Agents from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations are investigating the fire as an apparent Arson. The McKinleys were not home at the time.
