A land dispute and the serving of a writ in the Iotla Valley community led to a woman allegedly shooting her brother in the face, according to court documents.
The Oct. 9 incident led to the arrest of Deborah Williamson Smith, 66, of Franklin, on charges of attempted first-degree murder, discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling/moving vehicle and discharging a weapon into an occupied property inflicting serious bodily injury. Smith is held in the Macon County Detention Center on a $1 million bond, and had a court date on Tuesday, Oct. 17, which was still ongoing as of press time.
According to affidavits by deputies Jason D. Ashe and Matthew Long, just before 10 a.m. on Oct. 9, officers were executing a writ of possession for personal property to 120 McCall Circle, Franklin. The writ was about a property dispute initiated by Gregory Williamson against Smith. According to Macon County property records, Williamson owns property adjacent to property owned by Lynn Smith, Deborah’s husband, both on McCall Circle.
While on scene, Smith pulled up in a red Honda SUV where she and her husband Lynn talked to the two officers on scene. Smith then told the deputies she wanted to talk to her brother, allegedly saying, “No, I’m not gonna be mean, that’s not who I am.” Smith walked toward Williamson’s truck, where he was sitting in the driver’s seat, while Lynn continued talking with deputies on the front porch.
Then, officers heard “three to four pops,” which the deputy thought were fireworks or a small caliber firearm. He looked over to see Smith’s vehicle next to Williamson’s truck, “window to window.”
“[The deputy] looked over at Williamson’s truck and saw that he was not upright in the driver’s seat,” the affidavit says. As the deputy and husband moved toward the vehicles, the deputy observed what appeared to be a firearm tossed out of Smith’s vehicle. Warrants later identified this as a .25 caliber pistol. Williamson’s truck then reversed back down the driveway a short way before jack-knifing into the trailer he was pulling.
One of the shots went into an occupied Chevrolet Silverado owned by someone not involved with the incident, resulting in the discharging of a weapon into an occupied dwelling/moving vehicle charge.
After detaining Deborah Smith and ordering Lynn Smith to sit on the ground on the opposite side of the driveway, the deputy overheard Lynn saying “Honey, why?” to which Deborah responded, “Because he hurt you, I did, I did it for you,” and “I don’t care about myself,” as well as “Nobody is gonna make him pay,” the affidavit states.
While tending to Williamson, Deborah Smith told deputies she had another gun in the waistband of her pants, and deputies seized that gun.
According to the first responders, Williamson sustained a gunshot wound in his face below the left eye with no apparent exit wound. He was airlifted to Mission Hospital in Asheville. The hospital later told the deputies they recovered the projectile from Williamson’s head and secured it. Macon County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Brent Holbrooks said Friday, Oct. 13, that Williamson had been treated and released.
“He is doing well and he is in full cooperation with the sheriff’s office,” Holbrooks said.