JCPD: Charges still pending for Gray shooting person of interest

GRAY — Charges are still pending for a person of interest in a parking lot shooting that killed one in Gray Friday morning, an investigator with the Johnson City Police Department said. "There's believed to be no danger to the public. It was an isolated event," JCPD's lead investigator on the incident, Lt. Gary Wills said during a media briefing Friday afternoon. Wills said the department is not identifying the person of interest nor the deceased victim at this time because JCPD has not yet made contact with the victim's family. The victim was dead when police arrived and no others were injured. The person of interest was taken into custody when officers arrived and is speaking with detectives. Officers' early investigation revealed the violent incident stemmed from an argument between two individuals over a handicap parking space in front of the A1 Smoke and Vape Shop. That is located off of Bobby Hicks Highway, next to a Dunkin'. Investigators are still working to collect video and witness statements from the scene before pressing any charges, Wills said. "It's my understanding there was some video that's been recovered so they're in the process of reviewing all that," Wills said. WCSO deputies also assisted with JCPD's response to the shooting, which happened at around 9:30 a.m. Friday. Police did not provide any further detail about the person of interest or the incident. Gray Elementary School was placed on lockdown for about 20 minutes following the shooting, according to Washington County Schools Superintendent Jerry Boyd. Boyd said the district was first notified of the incident by the school's resource officer at about 9:30 a.m. The school went into lockdown moments later as a precaution. The lockdown was lifted after about 20 minutes when school officials received word that the suspect had been apprehended, Boyd said. "It is standard procedure to go into lockdown in an event like that," Boyd said. "We were notified by our SRO officer and went into lockdown. … We sent out communication to our parents." Boyd said additional communication will be sent to parents as more information becomes available. Only Gray Elementary School was placed on lockdown within the district because of its proximity to the incident, he said.