Chapel Hill Police are investigating a report of multiple gunshots early in the morning on New Year’s Day.
Documents show that police received a report shortly after 2 a.m. Tuesday that shots were fired into a crowd. Police spokesperson Ran Northam said that the incident occurred in the area of Night School, a bar at 157 East Rosemary Street.
Police were near the area, Northam said, and heard the gunshots. Witnesses also reported shots coming from multiple directions.
Gregory Jerome Cotton II. Photo via Chapel Hill Police.
Police located one suspect – 21-year-old Gregory Jerome Cotton II, of Durham – near the scene. Cotton was displaying a handgun, according to law enforcement. He was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor count of going armed to the terror of the public. Cotton was also cited for possessing a firearm on town property because police located him in the parking deck across from the bar.
Cotton was originally given a $3,000 secured bond and was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday afternoon.
No one was inured in the shooting, Northam said. But one vehicle was hit with multiple bullets. North Carolina Central University Police then pulled a vehicle over in Durham later in the morning that had multiple bullet holes, according to law enforcement officials.
Police said the investigation was ongoing and that its possible additional suspects could be taken into custody. No motivation for the shooting was available as the investigation continues.
A separate police report shows that a pistol was left in an “unsecure location,” the same morning of the shooting. The document shows the firearm was left at 179 East Franklin Street, which is the post office at Peace and Justice Plaza and is one block away from the reported shooting. Police continue to investigate to see if this firearm is connected to the incident.
The location of the shooting, now known as the Night School, was previously another bar, Country Fried Duck. The North Carolina Alcohol Beverage Control Commission denied that establishment’s request for a permanent liquor license in late September, according to the commission’s website.
Night School was operating under a temporary permit, according to the commission. The permit was issued on October 23 and was set to move to a permanent status in February.
An ABC commission official said Thursday afternoon that local law enforcement can present any relevant information, and the commission can take action related to violence when considering the status of the permit.
This needs to be taken down, the accused has been proven innocent in the court of law.
I agree