RALEIGH, N.C. – A Kinston man was arrested today on charges of carjacking and firearm offenses in relation to a shooting that occurred on November 19, 2020 in Kinston, NC.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers responded to a domestic violence disturbance call at a residence. When officers arrived, Robert Lee Strother, 30, turned around, opened fire, striking one officer in the neck. The round shot at the officer proceeded through another occupied residence. The following day, Strother shot an individual then carjacked their vehicle at gunpoint. The vehicle was later recovered but Strother remained at large. On November 21, law enforcement received a tip concerning Strother’s location. They responded to that location and urged Strother to surrender. Strother exchanged gunfire with law enforcement where he was shot several times. Strother was found to have an AR rifle along with several rounds of ammunition.
Strother is charged with carjacking, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a federal crime of violence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Lenoir County, Craven County, and the US Marshals are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Boykin is prosecuting the case.