A Charlotte man is in critical condition following a chaotic chain of events on Sunday in Lenoir County, involving the shooting of Amazon delivery vans and a dangerous head-on car crash.
According to the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office, 34-year-old Lonneil Cordarius Mason was airlifted to ECU Health in Greenville after his 2011 white BMW collided head-on with an SUV around 10:30 a.m. on North Carolina Highway 11. Deputies reported that Mason’s vehicle struck a total of three vehicles during the incident, as he was driving northbound in the southbound lane.
The initial impact involved a vehicle that lost a mirror. Subsequently, two women in a second car were struck head-on by Mason’s BMW. The BMW then collided with a truck pulling mowers on a trailer, causing serious injuries to the two women, who were hospitalized.
Prior to the crash, Mason is alleged to have fired shots at three Amazon delivery vans. According to deputies, the shootings occurred just 15 minutes before the collisions, with two vans targeted on the Felix Harvey Parkway and the third on NC 11, north of the parkway. In the first shooting, a .45-caliber pistol was used, with one van shot through the passenger door, targeting two female drivers. An AR-style pistol was used to shoot through the rear of the second van, damaging packages. The third Amazon van, driven by a male driver, was shot through the driver’s side. Fortunately, none of the drivers sustained injuries during the shootings.
“These incidents are indeed tragic; we don’t know why he targeted Amazon vehicles or why he was driving in the wrong lane on N.C. 11,” said Lenoir County Sheriff Jackie Rogers.
Authorities recovered a .45-caliber pistol and an AR-style pistol from Mason’s vehicle at the scene. Further investigation revealed the presence of cocaine and fentanyl on Mason’s person and inside the car.
Mason has a criminal history, having been imprisoned from July 2009 to December 2020 due to convictions for second-degree murder and breaking and entering, stemming from a crime on June 28, 2007. Previous charges in April 2007, involving discharging a weapon into occupied property and armed terror of the people, were later dropped. Deputies are currently working to obtain warrants for Mason, including three counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of shooting into occupied property, possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of possession with intent to sell and deliver a schedule I controlled substance.
Sheriff Rogers has requested that anyone with relevant information contact Lenoir County Communications at 252-559-6118.
