Fayetteville Businessman Lays Low After Marine Reservist Shooting

The shooting happened Oct. 16 around 12:30 a.m. in a Bragg Boulevard parking lot. The reservist, John Lake III, was shot in the head.

Steve Satisky, a former city councilman and current member of the Cumberland County Alcohol Beverage Control Board, has been hard for WRAL to track down. No one answers the door at his house, and his downtown Fayetteville pawnshop has been locked and dark since the shooting.

The ABC Board would not comment about Satisky or say whether he has attended any recent meetings. He also hasn't been seen at any recent meetings of the Fayetteville Urban Ministries, where he volunteers.

Satisky's attorney, David Courie, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. He has said previously, however, that Satisky suffered a blow to the head in the incident. Statisky does have a concealed weapons permit.

Fayetteville police are investigating Satisky, who was a Fayetteville city councilman in the 1970s, but he has not been charged. Police have said very little about the case.

"They're trying to be as efficient as possible in their investigation," said Fayetteville police spokeswoman Jamie Smith. "And if or when charges are necessary, they'll file them."

Investigators refuse to speculate on a motive for the shooting, but police radio traffic indicates there had been a fight.

As for the victim, his family is no longer releasing information about his condition at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. His father, John Lake, Jr., did fax a statement only to the

Fayetteville Observer

last week, which reported Friday that the Marine was still in critical condition and unconscious.

The statement said Lake had been to Iraq and returned to the United States a few months ago with an injured shoulder, but wanted to stay on active duty.