James Franklin Stepp III, 48, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, was shot and killed on July 3, 2019, during an altercation at a business on Brooklyn Avenue. Known as Jim or Pup, he was a lifelong Henderson County resident, a member of Living Water Baptist Church, an avid outdoorsman and motorcycle rider, and is survived by his son, James Franklin Stepp IV.

The confrontation began after Stepp’s son, Jimmy Stepp, was fired by business owner Greg Carl Spinella, 36. Jimmy called his father; Stepp went to the business to return an air compressor he had borrowed. The situation escalated and Spinella shot Stepp multiple times in front of his son. District Attorney Greg Newman later ruled the shooting justified as self-defense, saying Spinella had been knocked to the ground and fired three times because he feared for his life. No criminal charges were filed.

Stepp’s family sought release of security footage and filed a wrongful death suit against Spinella and Spinella Trucking and Excavation. The lawsuit was scheduled for trial in March 2021; Spinella’s death on March 15, 2021, was later reported. Does anyone have information about what happened that day or the footage family sought?