SALISBURY — The investigation into the shooting death of two Cleveland cousins continues as detectives also look into a Kannapolis murder, Rowan County Sheriff Kevin Auten said Friday.
The Sheriff’s Office sent some materials to the lab Friday, Auten said, that he hopes will move the double shooting case forward.
He said detectives are busy investigating both that case and the Tuesday murder of Kannapolis resident Shirley Pierce.
While suspect Marlene Johnson has been arrested in connection with Pierce’s death, no arrests have yet been made in the shootings of Daniel Carlton Redman and William Thomas Redman, both of Cleveland.
During a Wednesday press conference, Auten said detectives know who killed the Redmans — “that was never a question” ­— but they don’t yet know why it happened.
“It’s just a matter of how that played out,” he said. “That’s the whole investigation.”
Auten said the sheriff’s office continues to give daily updates to District Attorney Brandy Cook so she can help determine charges.
“I just want to relay that we continue to do investigations, interviews and analyze that evidence so we can get that case to a conclusion as well,” he said. “It’s a much different case, but we are spending a lot of time on that one as well as this one now.”
The Redmans were found dead Saturday night on Hildebrand Road, but investigators believe the incident began in Cleveland.
Around 10:10 p.m. Saturday, officials received a call to 1025 Mountain Road in Cleveland reporting that there were several men at the residence with guns and shots had been fired. The caller also said an orange and black “Harley Edition” Ford F-350 pickup was seen leaving the residence heading toward Carson Road, a statement said.
Then, around 10:25 p.m., 911 dispatchers received a call from 520 Hildebrand Road in Salisbury saying there were two gunshot victims there. Deputies arrived and found the two men dead inside an orange and black pickup.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Lt. Chad Moose at 704-216-8687 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.