SALISBURY — A man has been arrested in connection to an October shooting after police said they received tips from the community identifying him.
Messiah Swindell, 25, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and inflicting serious injury. He was placed in the Rowan County Detention Center with no bond.
Swindell was arrested in connection to a shooting that occurred on Oct. 4 in the 1100 block of West Horah Street.
On that day, police were initially called to Novant Health Rowan Medical Center at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Saturday in reference to a man suffering from a gunshot wound being admitted, according to Salisbury Police Department reports. When they arrived, they reportedly found 37-year-old Justin Decarlos Ford in life-threatening condition.
During the ensuing investigation, officers were able to determine that Ford had been shot at his home on West Horah Street, according to previous Salisbury Post reporting.
Over a week after the shooting, the Salisbury Police Department released several photos of a “person of interest” in the case, asking for the public’s help in identifying him. Following that, the department received “numerous tips from the community” identifying Swindell, according to a release.
“The Salisbury Police Department would like to thank all the community members who provided information that helped identify the suspect. Without the cooperation from the community, this investigation would not have been brought to a quick resolution,” wrote the department in the release.
