DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. — The suspect in a Lexington crime spree now faces a murder charge after one of the shooting victims died.
Lexington police said 48-year-old Rigo Mejia died Monday from his injuries. The man accused of shooting him, Zackary Plowman, has now been charged with murder in the case.
"Clearly, our defendant in this case has zero regard for human life," Lexington Police Chief Robby Rummage said regarding Plowman's extensive criminal history, which includes a murder conviction.
Another man, Miguel Mejia, is still in the hospital and has been listed as brain dead, and a third victim was treated and released from the hospital.
The Mejia family is struggling with the loss of Rigo, and condition of Miguel. Mariana Mejia, daughter of Rigo, and sister of Miguel said, "it’s traumatizing. My mom is not doing good at all. Both my father and brother were shot at the same time. We were going back-and-forth between the rooms going crazy, we didn’t know who to be with and unfortunately, my dad passed away last night at 7:55.”
Police said the investigation began Saturday on Virginia Drive. Officers heard gunshots in the area and then found a victim in the road, asking for help.
Investigators said Zackary Plowman used a long gun to shoot three men who were having a cookout. He then took off in a Dodge Challenger and ditched the car on the roadway.
The Mejia family doesn't know how someone could do this to them, and asks for prayers during this time.
“I’m asking for prayers for my brother. He’s still in critical condition, he’s fighting. His case wasn’t as severe as my fathers," Mejia said.
Police said they're still investigating how or if Plowman knew the victims and why he shot them.
After the shooting, police connected Plowman to another crime in the county. Davidson County Sheriff's deputies said he broke into Community Fellowship Moravian Church on Welcome-Arcadia Road that evening, spent the night, then held a pastor and his wife at knifepoint the next morning and stole a car.
A K-9 unit found Plowman that evening on Old Greensboro Road where deputies arrested him.
Plowman was initially placed in jail on a $3.5 million bond. Since the death of one of the shooting victims, he's been allowed no bond.
Digging into Plowman's past
Court documents show Plowman spent more than a decade in prison for a Forsyth County murder.
His crimes date back to at least 2004, nearly 20 years ago. Plowman was convicted of second-degree murder in Forsyth County in 2007. From there, he was sentenced to 15 to 19 years in prison.
However, he served his time and was out on parole when investigators said he committed several other crimes, related to breaking and entering, and drug possession.
During the crime spree in Davidson County, Plowman was out on pre-trial release for one of those recent charges.
"You don't know what a person is willing or able to do while they're awaiting trial and the purpose of imprisonment is to rehabilitate individuals. Once that individual was convicted in 2007, served their time, and was properly paroled, the assumption is that that person has been rehabilitated," explained criminal defense lawyer Jason Keith.
In the court documents we gathered, there are more than 30 charges under Plowman's name, many ended with guilty verdicts. Several other charges were dismissed by the Forsyth County district attorney.
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