Woman Shot During Johnston County Road Rage Incident

JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. – A Johnston County man is facing an attempted murder charge after a 43 year-old Kenly woman was shot during an apparent road rage incident Friday evening.

The shooting occurred around 5:31 p.m. June 5 near the intersection of N.C. Highway 231 and N.C. Highway 39.

According to the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, the victim and suspect were traveling in separate vehicles on Highway 231 when a road rage encounter occurred. Investigators said one of the drivers suddenly applied the brakes, causing the vehicles to make contact. Both motorists then pulled to the side of the roadway.

Authorities said 25-year-old Maurice Dashawn Thigpen, who has addresses on Oriole Court in Selma and Richardson Road in Zebulon, exited his vehicle armed with a .22-caliber AR-style rifle.

Investigators said the female driver felt threatened and returned to her vehicle in an attempt to leave the scene. As her vehicle pulled away, Thigpen allegedly fired five rounds into the moving car.

The victim was struck once in the hand. Despite her injury, she was able to drive herself to a hospital, where she received medical treatment.

The sheriff’s office said the victim’s vehicle was equipped with security cameras that captured the confrontation. Investigators used the video evidence to identify and locate Thigpen.

Thigpen was charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of discharging a weapon into an occupied moving vehicle.

He was booked into the Johnston County Detention Center and is being held without bond.

The victim and suspect did not know one another, and investigators believe the incident was a random act of road rage.