HILL COUNTY, Texas — The Hill County Sheriff's office received a 911 call reporting a shooting in the 100 block of Bluegrass St, in the unincorporated region of Hill County, just north of Whitney.
The shooting took place, on Friday, Oct. 6, at 10:46 a.m. Deputies arrived at the scene and discovered a male lying lifeless in the roadway, with gunshot wounds. The victim was identified as Cory Shelton, aged 46.
Authorities uncovered that a newer model black pickup truck was seen speeding away from the area, containing two males and a female. Deputies received information that one of the occupants of the truck had sought refuge at a convenience store at the intersection of FM 933 and FM 2604. Law enforcement closed on the location, locating and transporting one of the males to the Hill County Sheriff's Office.
At 2:26 p.m., a report surfaced of a female seated on a bench in the 900 block of S. Bosque in Whitney, closely resembling the description of the female seen at the scene of the shooting. Whitney Police promptly responded and confirmed her identity as the individual being located by investigators. It was revealed that she had an outstanding warrant for a parole violation, leading to her arrest.
Later, at 4:25 p.m., a breakthrough in the case came when information gathered by authorities led them to the suspect vehicle involved in the shooting. It was located in the 200 block of Ash Ridge, where attempts had been made to get the vehicle. Leads guided law enforcement to the whereabouts of the remaining individual, identified as Charlie Harris, a 31-year-old male from Longview and the prime suspect in the shooting.
Upon discovering Harris inside a nearby RV, armed and refusing to exit, a standoff started. According to officials, Harris communicated with acquaintances, indicating his intent to "shoot it out with deputies." Negotiators maintained dialogue with him and succeeded in negotiating his surrender at 6:37 p.m. He was safely taken into custody and transported to the Hill County Sheriff's Office.
Harris now faces charges of murder. Authorities have withheld the names of other individuals involved pending potential charges for this shooting.
