EDENTON, N.C. (WVEC) -- A suspect in a deadly shooting that took place early Saturday morning in Edenton has turned himself in to authorities.
On Sept. 17, at 12:15 a.m., officers responded to a shooting that happened in the parking lot of Wedgewood Apartments located 725 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Authorities say a police officer heard a single gunshot while patrolling the apartment complex, and proceeded to call for assistance.
Additional officers arrived and found 19-year-old Malik Ethridge, of Edenton, with a single gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Investigators identified 21-year-old Darian Copeland as the suspect in the case and began searching for him.
At 11 a.m. Saturday, Copeland turned himself in to Edenton police and admitted to accidentally shooting Ethridge. He explained to investigators that he was in the back seat of a vehicle Ethridge was driving when his .357 magnum pistol accidentally discharged, striking Ethridge in the back of the head, according to Edenton Police Chief Jay Fortenbery.
Copeland was charged with involuntary manslaughter and was placed in the Chowan County Jail under a $100,000 bond.
Anyone with additional information on this shooting is asked to call the Edenton Police Department at 252-482-9884 or 252-484-5114.
