Marion Shooting Suspect Arrested After Multi-Agency Search

Marion, NC – A suspect wanted in connection with a shooting outside a Marion convenience store was arrested Monday after an extensive search involving multiple law enforcement agencies.

According to Marion Police Chief Allen Lawrence, officers responded at approximately 10:29 a.m. on October 27, 2025, to a report of a dispute and shooting at CJ’s Convenience Store on North Main Street. When officers arrived, they learned the incident had occurred in the parking lot near the gas pumps. Both the suspect and the victim had already left the scene in separate vehicles.

Investigators reviewed video footage and determined that the suspect, identified as 40-year-old Robert Owens of Marion, and the victim, 31-year-old Donovan Wilson of Marion, had encountered each other in the parking lot. An argument broke out between the two over an ongoing dispute. During the altercation, Owens allegedly produced a small-caliber handgun and fired multiple shots at Wilson, who was in his vehicle attempting to leave.

Owens then fled the scene in a 2007 burgundy Chevrolet Trailblazer. Wilson, who had been struck once in the upper body, also left the area but was later stopped by Marion police officers. He was transported to Mission Hospital in Asheville for treatment. A passenger in Wilson’s vehicle, identified as 32-year-old Amber Lamb of Marion, was not injured.

After several hours of searching various locations, troopers with the North Carolina Highway Patrol located Owens in Burke County as a passenger in a vehicle driven by Megan Smith of Marion. Owens was taken into custody without incident and transported back to McDowell County.

Owens has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill, discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, and possession of a firearm by a felon. He was denied bond and remains in the McDowell County Jail.

Chief Lawrence thanked all agencies involved for their assistance in locating and apprehending the suspect.