Another suspect in a murder case has been taken into custody. 19-year-old James Richard Gann of Cornelius, the second suspect in the homicide that occurred on November 4 turned himself in at the Iredell County Detention Center in Statesville. He’s charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, discharging a firearm into occupied property resulting in injury, and attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon.

On Saturday, November 4, 2023, 20-year-old Zachary Craig and 18-year-old Alexander Hipple agreed to meet two suspects in a parking lot of 204 Mills Avenue in Troutman to sell the suspects marijuana. When they arrived the suspects approached the victim’s vehicle and pointed firearms at the victims demanding that they hand over the marijuana. The victims attempted to leave by driving away from the scene of the attempted robbery. One suspect opened fire on the vehicle and struck Hipple three times and Craig one time. Hipple died as a result of the injuries he sustained.

The Troutman Police Department and NC SBI identified a 17-year-old juvenile as one of the suspects and he was taken into custody on November 7 without incident. This suspect was being held at a juvenile detention center awaiting the case being moved to Superior Court where he will be tried as an adult. The second suspect was identified as James Richard Gann. Following his arrest Thursday he was jailed in the Iredell County Detention Center under no bond. A District Court appearance was scheduled today (November 17).

The Troutman Police Department thanked the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Atlanta Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety for attempts to locate this suspect while he was fleeing. They also thanked the Cornelius Police Department for assistance with the execution of a search warrant in their jurisdiction, and the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office as well as the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for providing deputies and troopers to assist with securing multiple crime scenes on the night of the incident.