Today, Thursday April 20th, 2023, at about 4:45 pm, the Gaston County Police were notified by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, Florida, that the suspect in Tuesday’s shooting on April Drive was in custody. The suspect, 24-year-old Robert Louis Singletary, turned himself in.
Mr. Singletary did not have any identification with him. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office processed Mr. Singletary and confirmed his identity shortly before 7 pm this evening. He is scheduled to have a court appearance in Hillsborough County on Friday, April 21, in reference to extradition back to Gaston County, North Carolina.
The victims in the shooting have been identified as:
- William James White of Gastonia: Mr. White suffered a gunshot wound, and remains in serious condition at a Charlotte hospital
- Ashley Hildebrand of Gastonia- Ms. Hildebrand suffered a grazing gunshot wound
- Juvenile (name will not be released)- suffered a gunshot wound
- Derrick Kenneth Prather of Gastonia- Mr. Prather was shot at but not hit.
The Gaston County Police would like to thank our partner public safety agencies, the United States Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force, and the Gaston County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in this investigation.
Although Mr. Singletary is in custody, the investigation into this shooting is on-going. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Det. J. Brienza at 704-866-3320 or Crimestoppers at 704-861-8000. A Crimestoppers reward of up to $1,000 is available for information pertinent to the investigation. There is no further information available at this time.