BEULAVILLE — The three people who best know what circumstances led to a Fountaintown man being shot dead in downtown Beulaville earlier this week aren’t talking.
One is dead. Graham Jamie Fountain, 51, died Tuesday night after being shot through the heart at close range.
One is in jail. Max Alan Turner, 52, is being held in the Duplin County Jail on an open count of murder. Investigators said the Pink Hill resident isn’t providing information.
The third is surrounded by family and friends. Lisa Turner, 51, was driving the vehicle in which Fountain was shot to death. She has declined through family to speak publicly about what happened.
Fountain and Lisa Turner were sitting in her Chevy Tahoe in the parking lot of a flower shop behind BB&T in Beulaville at 8 p.m. when Max Turner appeared and shot Fountain multiple times with a handgun. Lisa Turner was not injured, Beulaville Police Chief Joey Carter said.
A police officer involved in a traffic stop heard the shot and responded. More police and paramedics arrived almost immediately. Turner was taken into custody; it was too late for Fountain.
Family and friends who didn’t want to talk about the circumstances surrounding the shooting said Fountain was a good man and proud father.
Fountain is described as an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed kayaking, hunting and fishing.
Folks who know Turner described him in a similar fashion.
“He was nice, he helped people,” said Juan Castillo, who said he had worked for Turner on Turner’s tobacco farm in Albertson.
A disagreement over work on the farm led to a different, earlier shooting incident involving Turner. He was working his fields in 2008 when a hired hand grew angry and attacked him, according to court documents.
Francisco Javier Rosales assaulted Turner with a rock. Later after Turner had filed a no-contact order against Rosales, the man allegedly attacked him again, hitting him with a glass Pepsi bottle and causing his ear to bleed, according to court records.
Turner shot Rosales in self-defense. The extent of Rosales’ injuries are not specified in court documents, but they say Rosales assaulted a responding deputy with the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office, and tried to take his service pistol. Rosales was charged with assault on a police officer and assault with a deadly weapon. Those charges were later dismissed, according to the N.C. Justice Department.
Turner is being held without bond in this week’s shooting.
District Attorney Ernie Lee represented the state during Turner’s first appearance.
On Thursday, Lee said that he would not comment about specifics in either case.
“On (Wednesday), Assistant District Attorney Michele Morton and I met with Chief Carter and the SBI at my office in Kenansville about this investigation,” Lee said. “The next matter scheduled is defendant’s motion for a bond hearing. The bond hearing is scheduled in Duplin County District Court at 9:30 a.m. (today).”
Lee said the Beulaville Police Department and the State Bureau of Investigation had kept him informed from the beginning of their investigation.
“I appreciate the efforts and many hours placed in this case by law enforcement,” Lee said.
During a Thursday morning press conference about the shooting, Carter would not comment on any possible motive.
“We have several questions left,” Carter said.
You can reach Lindell Kay at 910-219-8455 or lindell.kay@jdnews.com. Follow him on Twitter and friend him on Facebook @ 1lindell.