A man whose car slid off a snowy highway in North Carolina Friday evening allegedly shot and killed one of those who tried to help him.
The man, identified as 27-year-old Marvin Jacob Lee, was driving his car when it went out of control and slid on ice in Mathis Church Road in Catawba County at 5:20 p.m.
Catawba County Sheriff Roy Reid said that witnesses called the authorities when the incident occurred.
"They thought he was drunk or on dope and said 'let's just call the law and let them deal with it,' " Reid said, according to The Washington Times.
Witnesses tried to help Lee, but when he heard them calling the authorities, he allegedly went out of his car and shot one of them. He is now facing charges for the death of Good Samaritan and 26-year-old single dad Jefferson Heavner, Fox 8 reported.
Authorities who responded to the scene noted that Lee seemed to be driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. When the suspect went back into his car and would not get out, authorities subdued him through pepper-spray and took him into custody.
Heavner was just one of the residents in the area who tried to respond to the incident, together with two men who were driving a truck. His sister thought that her brother was simply a helpful man by nature.
"Pretty much the irony is he went out of this world doing what he loved to do: helping people," Jessica Heavner said, according to The Charlotte Observer.
A GoFundMe page has been put up for Heavner's memorial.
"This was a senseless crime that took a son, brother and father from a family that loves him dearly. Jefferson who was a single dad leaves behind a 17-month-old son that will also require care and continued support," the page says
The page has over $5,500 on its account. Donate to the Jefferson Heavner Memorial Fund here.
