34-year-old Dwayne Eugene Pratt of Lenoir was arrested by U.S. Marshals on charges filed in Wilkes County. Pratt is charged by the Wilkesboro Police Department with felony counts of attempted first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, second-degree kidnapping, and discharging a firearm in an enclosed space to incite fear. He’s also charged with misdemeanor counts of assault by pointing a gun and carrying a concealed weapon.

Wilkesboro Police were dispatched to the Fast Track convenience store on U.S. 421 in Wilkesboro in response to a larceny shortly after 1 a.m. on March 22, 2023. A store employee told officers that a man entered the business and got a Monster energy drink from the cooler. The clerk rang up the purchase and the man pulled out a gun. According to police reports, the man said he wanted all the money and told the clerk to not press the alarm button. The suspect allegedly fired multiple rounds inside the store.

The suspect exited the store and traveled east on U.S. 421 in a black four-door sedan.
Investigators reviewed security video of the incident and found two 9mm shell casings.
U.S. Deputy Marshals arrested Pratt in Cornelius on April 21. Pratt was being held in the Wilkes County Jail. A District Court appearance is scheduled for July 12.

[Story and photo courtesy of Rick Gilbert, WACB]