Woman arrested, accused of shooting man sitting in back of police SUV

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Authorities are investigating after police said a woman shot a man while he was in the back of a police SUV Tuesday afternoon in Gaston County.

According to Cramerton police, officers responded around 12:15 p.m. to a call about a man who was armed with a gun outside the Hampton Meadows apartment complex off Mayflower Avenue. They believe the gun was being used during a domestic situation between him and another man.

When officers got there, they said they didn’t find a gun, but they put the man in the back of a patrol vehicle with the window partially rolled down.

That’s when police said 32-year-old Ashley Marie Forney walked out from between two apartments, went over to the police SUV, and shot the man in the chest and hand. Police said the man was rushed to a hospital for surgery and is in stable condition.

The responding officers were all near the patrol vehicle when the shooting happened but said they were unable to stop Forney in time. She complied with their orders to drop the gun and was taken into custody, according to police.

Forney was charged with attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon to kill inflicting serious injury.

“It is somewhat bold of someone to approach an individual who is being detained in a patrol car and take an opportunity to shoot them,” said Gaston County Police Chief Joseph Ramey.

It’s unclear why the woman pulled the trigger or if she and the man knew each other. No names have been released.

The Gaston County Police Department is investigating what the Cramerton police officers were doing at the time of the shooting.

No officers were hurt.

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