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Sheriff: Dudley man shoots stepfather before turning gun on himself

A 24-year-old Wayne County man shot himself in the head late Thursday after shooting his stepfather in the back at a home in Dudley, according to the sheriff's office.

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DUDLEY, N.C. — A 24-year-old Wayne County man shot himself in the head late Thursday after shooting his stepfather in the back at a home in Dudley, according to the sheriff's office. 

Deputies were called to 307 Camp Trailee Road, in the southern part of Wayne County, at about 11:40 p.m. Thursday in reference to a shooting. When they arrived, deputies heard screaming coming from inside the house followed by a single gunshot. 

Once inside, investigators found Daniel Webster Croom dead from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Croom's stepfather, 45-year-old Carl Earnest Darby, was found in a bedroom of the home with a gunshot wound to the back. 

Darby was taken to a local hospital, where he was in stable condition Friday morning. Three other people inside the home at the shooting, including Croom's mother, were not injured.

Investigators said Croom shot Darby and then himself after the two got into an argument Thursday evening. Croom was a suspect in a shooting that happened earlier Thursday in Mount Olive, authorities said.

No other information about either incident has been released.

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