Suspect sought in Richmond County shooting

ROCKINGHAM — Investigators are asking for help locating a shooting suspect.

Investigators believe 43-year-old Christopher Lee Chavis pulled the trigger in a shooting south of Rockingham that sent a man to the hospital Thursday evening.

According to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to a home on Eason Drive Aug. 1 in reference to a possible gunshot victim.

While en route, dispatchers reportedly told deputies that the victim had walked into a wooded area. The victim, who was not named in a press release issued Aug. 2, was reportedly found with a gunshot wound to the leg.

The victim was treated at the scene by EMS and taken to FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital-Richmond for further treatment, according to the sheriff’s office.

Investigators with the sheriff’s office responded to both the scene and the hospital, and were able to identify the suspect and a vehicle he was in, the release states.

Soon after, the suspect vehicle, a truck, was spotted by an officer with the Rockingham Police Department.

The driver, 37-year-old Roger Dale Ricks of Cordova, was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact. He is being held in the Richmond County Jail on a $100,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 22.

Chavis, of East Rockingham, was still at large at the time of this writing. However, charges have been filed and arrest warrants obtained, according to the sheriff’s office.

Anyone with information on Chavis’ whereabouts is encouraged to contact Richmond County Crimestoppers at 910-997-5454 or by using the Crimestoppers P3 app.

Records with the N.C. Department of Adult Correction show Ricks was convicted in 2008 of operating a vehicle without a license and driving after consuming a controlled substance under the age of 21.

Chavis has an extensive record of breaking and entering, larceny and burglary convictions.

All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.