Orange Co. man pleads guilty, will serve at least 5 years in prison for 2022 Halloween road rage shooting

An Orange County man on Monday pleaded guilty to a road rage shooting on Halloween in 2022.

According to court documents, Kelly Long pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling.

Long will serve between 64 months and 89 months in prison.

Orange County investigators said Long followed a father and child, who were driving to go trick-or-treating on Halloween and fired a gun into their vehicle several times.

After the father drove away, Long chased them through downtown Hillsborough. Long’s wife, who was in the car during the chase, called 911. The father of the child also called 911 when he reached a gas station.

Assistant District Attorney Jeff Nieman said one of the shots went through the child’s firefighter costume and grazed his skin.

WRAL News spoke with members of Long’s family after the shooting, who said it was out of character for him.