Gunman shot at North Carolina tree trimming crew; multiple injured

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    YANCEY COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — Law enforcement confirmed four people were injured after a gunman opened fire on a tree-trimming crew in North Carolina in the Murphytown area of Yancey County.

One worker was shot twice and two others each sustained an individual gunshot in their upper bodies, per Yancey County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Ryan Higgins.

Officials identified the suspected gunman as Lucas Murphy, 36, who is now in custody.

“They were up a private drive, cutting right-of-way from the powerline and Mr. Murphy came out from his home and started engaging them in gunfire,” said Higgins. “The crew wasn’t all in the same location — different crew members were in different areas of the woods.”

Higgins said Murphy, the alleged gunman, used his rifle to shoot at the crew.

“We kept getting more reports [that] he was continuing to engage them in the woods,” said Higgins.

Deputies arrived at the scene and traveled on foot to the highly-wooded area to confront Murphy. Higgins said they engaged in a shootout.

“The suspect was ultimately shot and he was taken into custody… It was a very chaotic scene,” he said.

Officials said that Murphy sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Officials said three victims suffered “very serious” injuries. The victims were transported to area hospitals where they received medical treatment.

One member of the crew said he hid in the woods during the attack and called his mother, Crystal Taylor.

“It was about 1:51 p.m. and he basically said — it was in a group chat with my oldest daughter and his twin brother — and it said ‘guys call the cops. Send them to my location now. [A] homeowner is shooting at us,'” said Crystal Taylor.

Taylor said she remained on the phone with her son until the officers arrived.

“Getting a phone call from your son, or a text message from your son to call 911 that there’s an active shooter —that’s kind of scary,” she said.

This is still an active crime scene, and Hilliard said authorities are still piecing together what happened.

News 13 Investigates checked Lucas Wilson Murphy’s prior law enforcement record. The most recent charge in Yancey County is from March 2024.

In 2019, the Yancey County Sheriff’s Office arrested Murphy and charged him with felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury. The North Carolina Department of Corrections record shows he received probation for several misdemeanor convictions for DWI and carrying a concealed weapon.

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