HAMLET— A man wanted for Wednesday’s shooting outside the Richmond County Soup Kitchen on Wednesday has been taken into custody.
Hamlet Police apprehended 22-year-old Edward McNair Sloan at the Washington Court apartments just before 5:30 p.m. Thursday, according to Detective Capt. Randy Dover..
Sloan was walked into the Richmond County magistrate’s office around 6 p.m. by Lt. Richard Jordan where he was given a $1 million secured bond.
He is charged with one felony count each of attempted first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Investigators say Sloan shot another man around 12:30 Wednesday in the parking lot outside the soup kitchen on Hamlet Avenue. The victim was grazed in the side and required treatment for his injury, though Dover said it wasn’t serious.
Sloan was only able to loose off one shot because another person at the scene swung at him, knocking the gun out of his hand, Dover said. When the gun hit the ground, the magazine fell out.
Deputies with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office helped police search for Sloan following the incident, but it was Hamlet officers who found him.
“I want to thank the community for their help,” said Chief Scott Waters. “Every time somebody saw him, they gave us a call.”
About an hour before Sloan was found, his father pleaded for him to turn himself in, saying “that would be the best thing and the only thing (to do).
Dover said there may be additional charges levied related to this case.
Records with the N.C. Department of Public Safety show Sloan, who has the nicknames “Loose Screw” and “Chuggy Mack,” was convicted on a felony charge of larceny after breaking and entering in 2016 and initially received a suspended sentence.
That probation was revoked the following year when he was convicted of larceny over $1,000.
He spent eight months behind bars, but was sent back a month after getting out. He was incarcerated for another nine months and was released Aug. 19, records show.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
