Teenage Girl Among Shooting Victims at Orange County Barn Party

An 18-year-old female was airlifted to UNC Hospitals with life-threatening injuries early Sunday morning after a shooting at a barn party in Cedar Grove, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were dispatched to a report of a “gunshot injury at a party barn” at 1:18 a.m. Sunday, according to law enforcement. When deputies arrived on the scene on Mill Creek Road roughly 150 people remained on the scene from the crowd estimated to have reached 300.

“An altercation ensued between patrons and several gunshots were heard,” officials said in a release from the sheriff’s office.

The teenager who was airlifted was “suffering from gunshot wounds to the head.” A second shooting victim received treatment at UNC Hospitals in Hillsborough for a gunshot wound to the leg. The victim “declined to cooperate with Investigators,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Officials said Sunday afternoon, “As the investigation progressed throughout the morning, it appeared there was more than one person involved in the shooting. “

Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in the release:

“Parties and large crowd gatherings such as the one we are investigating are particularly concerning due to the increased risk posed to those in attendance, especially those who are underage. Crimes that occur at these kinds of events become more challenging for law enforcement to investigate. By the time we’re called, everyone is gone and the people who were there often don’t wish to cooperate or be identified, making it difficult, if not impossible, to gain accurate accounts of what happened from credible witnesses. At this point no arrests have been made, and we are unsure how many shooters were present or if there were other victims.”

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Sergeant Dawn Hunter at (919) 245-2915 or by emailing dhunter@orangecountync.gov.