Victim airlifted following shooting

A 56-year-old Blacksburg man was taken into custody Monday evening on a charge of assault and battery with intent to kill following a shooting incident in the eastern portion of Cherokee County that sent another man to the hospital.

The incident occurred around 6 p.m. inside a home at 267 Dickson Road.

"Several people were there together," said Chief Deputy Joel Hill of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. "Some kind of argument erupted there between the victim and the suspect and it resulted in the victim being shot with a handgun."

The victim was identified in a police report as Jerry Rose. An exact age and address were not listed. Rose suffered a gunshot to his lower abdomen. The weapon used was a 9 mm handgun, police said.

The alleged shooter, 56-year-old James Russell Strain, of 267 Dickson Road, was arrested Monday evening and charged with assault and battery with intent to kill. He remained at the Cherokee County Detention Center on Tuesday and had not yet had a bond hearing as of late Tuesday afternoon.

Rose was flown by a Med Center Air helicopter from an emergency landing zone set up by the CKC Volunteer Fire Department at Highways 5 and 97.

CKC Fire Chief "Stick" Manning said his department closed the intersection for about 10 to 15 minutes during the emergency transport.

A spokeswoman for Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte confirmed Tuesday that Rose was admitted there and that he was listed in serious condition.

Cherokee County Sheriff's Office investigators, including detectives and a crime scene analyst, were dispatched to the scene Monday. Hill said the case remains under investigation.