Allen W. Blanchard, a 34-year-old white male from Wilmington, North Carolina, tragically lost his life on December 23, 2017, in Kelly, North Carolina. The incident occurred at an abandoned lumber mill off NC 210 in the Kelly community of Bladen County. Blanchard was fatally shot in the head by David Wayne Gore, a 57-year-old boat shop owner from Wilmington, during a confrontation at the mill.
Gore, the owner of Gore Marine in Wilmington, had received a tip that a $200,000 boat stolen
from his shop earlier in the week had been spotted in Bladen County. Acting on this information, Gore arrived at the mill and found Blanchard and another man, Ryan Ciro Thau, 33, also from Wilmington, loading scrap metal onto a truck. Authorities later confirmed that Blanchard and Thau had no connection to the stolen boat.
During the confrontation, Gore shot Blanchard, who was subsequently airlifted to New Hanover Regional Medical Center, where he died the following Monday. Thau was not injured during the incident. In 911 calls released after the encounter, Gore admitted to dispatchers that he shot Blanchard while searching for the stolen boat. Gore was initially charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, which was later upgraded to second-degree murder following Blanchard's death.
Blanchard's father, Allen Blanchard Sr., expressed his grief and frustration over the charges, stating that Gore should not have been released on bond. He described the incident as an execution and questioned how someone who had killed another person could be allowed to carry a gun. Gore's next court date was scheduled for March 16, 2018.
The case highlights the tragic consequences of misunderstandings and the dangers of taking the law into one's own hands. The investigation into the incident continued, with authorities examining the circumstances surrounding the shooting and the events leading up to it.
