Man hurt in shooting, person of interest sought

By MICAH HENRY

A lunchtime shooting in the busy West End area of Taylorsville, on Monday, August 29, 2022, about 12:41 p.m., left a man with life-threatening injuries and authorities searching for the suspect.

Taylorsville Police Chief Douglas Bowman indicated that, at first, officers believed the incident was a drive-by shooting. However, it was later learned the shooter exited a vehicle and fired at a man in the Casa Mexico restaurant parking lot area. The shooter then left the scene in a silver-colored passenger car with heavy front end damage. A description of the shooter was not available, Chief Bowman said.

The victim is a man in his early 20s, but no other information was released. He was airlifted to a Charlotte hospital for treatment.

Alexander Early College, Alexander Central High School, and Taylorsville Elementary School were placed on lockdown when the shooting was first announced. Later, the schools were placed on a Code In status, in which students and staff may move freely inside the school but individuals may not enter or exit school facilities, said Bowman.

A number of evidence markers were seen on Westgate Drive, which runs south of NC 90 beside Kentucky Fried Chicken/Taco Bell and Casa Mexico. Law enforcement officers had cordoned off the crime scene with police tape.

At last report, officers are continuing to gather information on the suspect.

UPDATE: Police have a person of interest in the case, said Chief Douglas Bowman. The person of interest is Kalill Isbell and a photo of the suspect vehicle showing its license plate has been added below. Police are looking for a silver Hyundai Sonata with front end damage, NC license tag JKL-8566. If you have information on Isbell or the suspect car, please call the Taylorsville Police Dept. at 828-632-2218 or Alexander County Crime Stoppers, 828-632-8555.