Henderson County locals woke up Monday to startling news of the death of 2-year-old Abigail Newman.
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James Fuller Stepp, 31, surrendered to Henderson County Sheriff’s Office deputies Monday night on a charge of involuntary manslaughter. Two-year-old Abigail Newman was shot in the upper body with a 20-gauge shotgun, said police.
The 911 call came in at 9:02 a.m. from the home on Golden Eagle Way.
The caller told the dispatcher that her three other children, 7, 3 and 4 months, were also in the home.
Stout says an investigation is ongoing and authorities are still determining how the shooting occurred. The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate, Maj.
N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Mark Corbin said after the accident that a Chevy pickup truck crossed the center line and crashed into the front of Stepp’s SUV near London Road at about 12:15 p.m on December. 13.
The child was transported to Mission Hospital in Asheville, where she was pronounced dead. Frank Stout said, and further charges are possible.
Stout didn’t say what led the district attorney to file charges against Stepp.
Stout said no charges had been made early Monday afternoon, adding that it was a “very traumatic situation for everybody involved”.
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Stepp posted a $5,000 bond. Where were the parents? “Who were the adults who were supervising the children?”
