17-year-old gets in his truck and fatally runs down man as they argue, NC cops say

An argument days before Christmas turned deadly when a 17-year-old got in his pickup and intentionally ran over a man outside a store’s parking lot, according to police in North Carolina.

Jaylan Gray West then sped away and remains wanted on a charge of first-degree murder, the Lumberton Police Department said in a Dec. 23 case update.

West is accused of running down Billy Ray Huggins on Friday, Dec. 20, outside Atkinson’s Cigarette Land along Interstate 95, police said.

“When officers arrived, they found a 44-year-old male victim who had been struck by a vehicle, deceased,” police said.

“It appears the victim and the suspect, who was driving a burgundy Chevrolet pickup truck got into an altercation in the parking lot. The suspect then gets into his vehicle and intentionally strikes the victim with the truck.”

Investigators have not said what started the argument and why it allegedly escalated to homicide.

West, who lives in Lumberton, was linked to the case after crime scene technicians positively identified the pickup truck, officials said.

Huggins also lives in Lumberton, but police have not said if the two knew each other prior to the incident.

“Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Jaylan West is asked to call the Lumberton Police Department at 910-671-3845,” police said.

Atkinson’s Cigarette Land is located at the intersection Interstate 95 and NC 72, about a 100-mile drive south of Raleigh.

This story was originally published December 24, 2024 at 12:25 PM with the headline "17-year-old gets in his truck and fatally runs down man as they argue, NC cops say."