STATESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Statesville Police say they have found the suspect who injured two people in a machete attack that sent two schools into lockdown Thursday.
Authorities said they responded to a 911 call around 12:33 p.m. Thursday, September 7, near Pump Station Road. Officers found two people, Christina Foster, 28, and Michael Forth, 35, with injuries.
Emergency personnel transported the two people to Baptist Hospital for treatment.
Statesville Police said the man and woman injured in the attack were homeless and said they were living in a wooded area behind the City of Statesville Water Treatment Plant. They told police that David Morgan, who also lived in the same area, got into a fight with them.
During the fight, the 71-year-old suspect is said to have struck both victims with a machete.
Witnesses told police that all three people fought and that Morgan also sustained lacerations to his leg and hand from the same weapon. Statesville Police did not find Morgan and the initial investigation indicates the dispute resonated from an area that Morgan camped in.
On the afternoon of Friday, September 8, the police department said all three individuals would be charged after the incident. Foster and Forth face one count of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.
On Saturday, September 17, Statesville police announced that they had located Morgan at a homeless camp behind Pump Station Road. He is currently being treated at the hospital for his injuries.
Once Morgan is released from the hospital, he will be charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, according to officials.
During the investigation, police had Northview Academy and Statesville Christian School placed on lockdown. Authorities acknowledge that there was never an immediate danger or threat to either of the schools.
The Statesville Police Department urges anyone with additional information to contact the Statesville Police Department at 704-878-3515.
