Zachary Stewart to spend 6+ years in prison after road rage shooting
He was sentenced to serve a term of 72-99 months
ASHEVILLE, NC — Monday, October 27, 2024, Zachary Desmond Stewart, 29, of Canton pleaded guilty to two counts of felony Assault with a Deadly Weapon with the Intent to Kill, felony Discharge of a Firearm into an Occupied Moving Vehicle, and felony Possession of Firearm by Felon. As a result, Superior Court Judge Alan Thornburg sentenced Stewart to serve an active prison term of 72-99 months in the custody of the N.C. Department of Adult Corrections.
On September 30, 2023 law enforcement responded after a single shot was fired into a vehicle that was traveling southbound with a driver and passenger within on I-26 near mile marker 39.
Before the shooting the victim-driver observed Stewart driving aggressively and pulled out her cell phone to capture video of Stewart’s driving. While the video captured Stewart driving the vehicle, it also captured Stewart shooting into the victim’s car from within his vehicle.
After crashing in Henderson County, Stewart was arrested by the Henderson County Sheriff's Office several miles from the area of the shooting. Upon his arrest, a .380 pistol was located within Stewart’s vehicle and was seized.
Fortunately, no one was physically injured as a result of Stewart’s acts.
Stewart had a prior criminal history that included felony drug convictions.
North Carolina law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms.
The victims were consulted and approved of the sentence.
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