SNOW HILL — A local man, charged initially with attempted murder after shooting a man with a shotgun twice during a dispute over a deer, was found guilty of first-degree assault this week and now awaits his fate pending a pre-sentence investigation.
Around 1 a.m. on Jan. 30, the Worcester County Bureau of Investigations (WCBI) was notified of a shooting victim at PRMC in Salisbury. The investigation revealed the victim had been shot twice near in the intersection of Whitesburg Rd. and Five Bridges Rd. in southern Worcester County.
The investigation revealed the victim and two others were traveling on Whitesburg Rd. and stopped near the intersection of Five Bridges Rd. to assist a motorist who had struck a deer with their vehicle. Witnesses told police an argument broke out between the victim and the driver of the vehicle who had struck the deer.
The driver, identified as Kenny George White, 18, of Fruitland, got a shotgun from his vehicle and fired at the victim standing in the roadway. The victim turned to flee and was shot again by the suspect. The victim sustained injuries from shotgun pellets below his torso. The victim was able to get back into his vehicle and he and his group were able to get a partial license plate number that ultimately assisted the police in finding the suspect.
The victim returned to his residence in Eden and called for an ambulance. The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office initially responded to the victim’s residence in Eden, but it was determined the shooting had occurred in Worcester County. The Fruitland Police Department located White’s vehicle on South Camden Ave. in Fruitland. WCBI detectives made contact with White and were able to interview him and established probable cause to charge him with attempted murder, first-degree assault and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and other charges.
A search warrant was obtained for White’s residence, and a shotgun and shotgun shells were recovered as evidence. A search of the area on Whitesburg Rd. where the incident took place resulted in the recovery of two spent shotgun shells that matched the description of the shells found at White’s residence.
On Wednesday, White entered an Alford plea to first-degree assault and the other charges against him were not prosecuted. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not plead guilty, but acknowledges the state has enough evidence to prosecute him. First-degree assault carries a maximum sentence of 25 years. A sentencing date has not been set.