HIGH POINT, N.C. - It's been a whirlwind 24 hours for everyone involved in a crime spree that started with a bank robbery in Salisbury, then a chase, a stabbing and an officer-involved shooting in Thomasville.
One family is thankful a knife to a victim's chest was not deadly. Another family - devastated, and mourning the loss of a man shot and killed by police.
Police say Jerick Gray went on a crime spree that spanned two counties Thursday. They say he robbed a bank, led police on a chase, then stabbed the owner of Anderson R/C Hobby Shop before an officer took him down. Meanwhile, a woman 8 months pregnant was in the passenger seat.
But Gray's brother says this rampage doesn't define the man he knew.
“My brother was my best friend. He could call me and tell me what's for dinner without even knowing what I'm cooking,” said Edric Gray.
Edric is still stunned over the death of his brother Jerick, better known as Raheem.
“This was a malicious act, but I also want people to know that my brother wasn't a mean person,” he said, “He wasn't some criminal that would just rob, steal, kill, and destroy.”
He says for a long time, Raheem battled mental illness, and a drug problem. But recently, he says his brother was doing great, helping him with their sick mother and looking for work
“My brother knew that he needed some long-term care. And he sought it, and that was going to start in June. But we didn't quite make it there,” Edric said.
He says he'll never really know what lead up to all this, but he hopes for prayers and peace, for his family, especially his brother.
Edric says he hopes for a speedy recovery for Wesley Anderson, the owner of the hobby shop, who was stabbed by his brother.
As for Wesley's condition, his family says he's been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.
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