On August 14, 2023, at about 6:30 a.m., Jeffrey McKay, 39, an electrical supervisor with the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, was driving his department-issued Dodge pickup along Dink Ashley Road near Timberlake, North Carolina, when the truck struck a 17-year-old who had been walking beside the roadway after his vehicle ran out of fuel. The teenager was fatally injured. McKay stopped, called 911, and while waiting for first responders he was shot by the teen’s father, 41-year-old Chad Woods, who was reportedly emotionally distraught at the scene.

Woods and his wife then left in McKay’s pickup and drove home, leaving McKay and their deceased son behind; the vehicle was later located near their residence. McKay was taken to a local hospital and died of his injuries. The Person County Sheriff’s Department and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol opened an investigation. Woods was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and larceny of a motor vehicle; he was arraigned on August 21, 2023, and remained in custody. Authorities said Woods admitted discarding the firearm in a nearby pond and search efforts were begun.

McKay is remembered in his obituary as a devoted husband and father who enjoyed fishing, grilling, and family time; he is survived by his wife, Jessica, and their 2-year-old daughter, Adelynn. What can readers add who witnessed the crash or the events that followed along Dink Ashley Road that morning?