Wesley Allen Swinnie, a 23-year-old African American male, was tragically shot and killed on August 17, 2013, in Aberdeen, North Carolina. The incident occurred in the parking lot of a Burger King restaurant on U.S. 1 North. Swinnie had been running errands with his father, William McCrimmon, and had stopped at the restaurant to get a biscuit. Upon returning to his father's car, Swinnie was shot multiple times by Adam Anthony White, a 29-year-old male from Hoffman, North Carolina.
Swinnie handed his cellular telephone to McCrimmon to call 911. As McCrimmon was speaking with the 911 operator, White reloaded his handgun, walked over to Swinnie, who was lying on the ground, and shot him two to three more times in the face. Several witnesses in the area ran over to help Swinnie as he was lying on the ground, but he passed away next to McCrimmon’s car. Swinnie died from the multiple gunshot wounds.
The motive behind the shooting was linked to an altercation that had occurred two weeks prior in Southern Pines, where White and his twin brother, Allan White, were cut by Swinnie. White testified during his trial that when he saw Swinnie at Burger King, he thought about his twin being cut, then snapped, pulled out his handgun, and shot Swinnie. Officers from the Aberdeen Police Department stopped White and his brother, Miquale Green, while they fled south in Green’s gray Buick through Aberdeen. White later admitted to officers that he shot Swinnie.
The case was prosecuted by Peter Strickland, assistant district attorney for Moore County, and presided over by James M. Webb, Senior Resident Superior Court Judge of Moore County. During the trial, McCrimmon’s emotional call to 911 was played in court for the jury. The jury heard a few of the shots being fired by White on the 911 recording, as well as White shouting at Swinnie, as Swinnie was lying in the parking lot. Swinnie’s mother, Hilda Swinnie, and sister, Stacey Swinnie, testified during the sentencing, forgiving Adam White for his actions and expressing that they wished he had made better decisions the day White killed Swinnie.
Adam Anthony White was convicted by a Moore County jury of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Aberdeen Police Department investigated the case, and George Kelly, of the Wake County Bar, defended Adam White. The tragic death of Wesley Allen Swinnie left a lasting impact on his family and the community, highlighting the devastating consequences of violence and the importance of seeking justice for the victims.
