At approximately 11:14 a.m. on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, the Alexander County 911 Communications Center received a call reporting a civil dispute on Never Mountain Road in Alexander County. Five minutes later, at 11:19 a.m., a second 911 call was received from the same location reporting that a shooting had occurred and two individuals had been shot.
Upon arrival, responding officers discovered two individuals suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. One of the victims, Robert Alan Carpenter, a 65-year-old white male from Taylorsville, was pronounced deceased at the scene. A second individual, sustained a gunshot wound was treated by Alexander County EMS and transported to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the incident began as a civil dispute over property boundaries between Mr. Carpenter and Joey Albert Williams, a 74-year-old white male, also of Taylorsville. The dispute escalated, resulting in an exchange of gunfire involving these two individuals with multiple shots fired.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has been called in to conduct the investigation by the Sheriff due to Joey Williams being a former Deputy with the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office who retired in 2009.
At this time, no arrests have been made as investigators continue to gather evidence and interview witnesses.