Marvin Jacob Lee: Motorist Stranded In Blizzard Allegedly Shoots And Kills Good Samaritan Who Tried To Help
Marvin Jacob Lee, a motorist who slid off of an icy North Carolina highway on Friday night, allegedly shot and killed a Good Samaritan neighbor who tried to help him, MSN reported.
At about 5:20 p.m. on Friday night, a motorist — later identified as 27-year-old Marvin Jacob Lee — slid off the road in Catawba County in western North Carolina, tga region heavily battered by a powerful winter storm that has wreaked havoc along the East Coast.
Sheriff Coy Reid of the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office said, via The Charlotte Observer, that three men in a passing truck stopped to help. When the motorist, Lee, began acting “belligerent,” according to Coy, the Good Samaritans decided to call the cops and let them deal with the situation.
“They thought he was drunk or on dope and said ‘let’s just call the law and let them deal with it.'”
Police say that when Lee realized someone was calling the authorities, he grabbed a weapon – an automatic pistol – and began shooting at the would-be helpers, striking one. He then got out of his car, walked up to the victim who had already been shot, and continued firing at him.
Lee then returned to his vehicle and refused to get out. Police arrived a short time later, surrounded Lee’s car, and commanded him to get out. When he refused, a SWAT team was called.
Breaking Catawba Co- police standoff underway after a shooting in Bandys community leaves one dead. Swat on scene pic.twitter.com/JP5BiR5CIn
— Dave Faherty (@FahertyWSOC9) January 23, 2016
The SWAT team arrived and saw that Lee was passed out in his car. SWAT members attempted to extricate him from his car; he allegedly woke up and began fighting with the cops. He was subdued and was taken into custody.
The shooting victim, identified by a follow-up Charlotte Observer report as 26-year-old Jefferson Heavner, died of his injuries.
“Pretty much the irony is he went out of this world doing what he loved to do: helping people.”
Jessica said her brother, who was recently laid off from his job with Time Warner Cable, loved hunting, riding ATV’s, working on cars, and the outdoors. He leaves behind a 17-month-old son.
“He was always up for an adventure. He was very fun loving. He lived every day in the day and for the moment.”
Jefferson’s aunt, Crystal Seagall, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for her nephew’s funeral expenses and to create a trust fund for his son.
“On January 22, 2016 Jefferson Heavner being a Good Samaritan, who stopped to help a driver who spun out on ice, was fatally shot and killed by the driver of the car he was helping… This account has been created to assist them with funeral and other expenses they will have over the next several months while they are working to put their lives back together. This is one way you can help. Please know that the family greatly appreciates all of the thoughts, prayers and love that have been and continue to be offered to them.”
As of this writing, the GoFundMe page for Jefferson has raised just over $10,000, well over the initial goal of $5,000.
Marvin Jacob Lee, meanwhile, is in police custody and is scheduled to be arraigned in court on Monday.
[Image courtesy of Catawba County Sheriff’s Office via MSN]
