HICKORY, N.C. — In the quiet hours just after 2:40 a.m. Sunday, a 25‑year-old man, identified as Austin Lee Matthew Miller, was found dead from gunshot wounds near the intersection of Main Avenue Southwest and U.S. Highway 321. What police describe as an escalating domestic incident — which began in Caldwell County and spilled into Hickory — ended in tragedy.
Officers who responded to the shooting discovered Miller suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
At the scene was 32-year-old James Michael Church of Granite Falls. Authorities have identified Church as the person who allegedly shot Miller.
According to police, the violence stemmed from a domestic dispute. The parties involved had been travelling along U.S. 321 from Caldwell County into Hickory when the incident unfolded.
As of now, no formal charges have been filed in connection with Miller’s death. The investigation remains active and authorities are calling on anyone with information to reach out to Investigator Ben Rogers.
The community is shaken. Neighbors described an otherwise calm early morning in Hickory, startled by the sudden appearance of police lights and the unfathomable news that lives were changed — irrevocably.
For now, grieving family and loved ones await answers. And investigators continue to piece together what turned a domestic dispute into a fatal shooting.
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