COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Columbus County officials are offering a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the death of Willie Lee Marley, who died from a gunshot wound earlier this month.
According to the sheriff's office, Marley, 54, was found with a gunshot wound to the body at the intersection of Golf Course and Union Valley Roads, just outside Whiteville.
About a mile from the crime scene is a heartbroken Shirley Gaskins. Marley lived across the street from her. Gaskins tells us not only was Marley a friend and her maintenance man, but he was also like a son.
"He was always stopping by to see me. Wanting to know if he could do something for me. Go get me some gas, check under the hood, check the yard out. Anything, he was always just good," said Gaskins.
The sheriff's office said Marley was taken to Columbus Regional Healthcare System where he underwent surgery and later died.
This is the county's first murder of 2013.
Deputies in Columbus County are still investigating the shooting.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to contact the Columbus County Sheriff's Office at 910-642-6551.
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