OUTER BANKS, N.C. — The mother of a 19-year-old who was shot and killed last week at a popular Outer Banks pier is sharing memories of her son.
“You should have let your heart tell your temper to put that gun back down,” Nicole Hassell said tearfully in an interview with WNCN, addressing the suspect accused of killing her son.
Zane Hughes, 19, was shot and killed Thursday at the Avalon Fishing Pier in Kill Devil Hills. His mother spoke with media outlets in Raleigh on Saturday.
“My baby is gone, but he will live on in so many hearts forever,” Hassell said to WRAL.
She described her son as one-of-a-kind, recalling how he attended UNC Charlotte last fall after graduating from First Flight High School.
“Zane lit up any room that he walked into. He had the best sense of humor, and his laugh was contagious,” Hassell said. “Zane was a young man so full of courage, ambition, love, integrity, and life.”
Hassell said her son was “viciously” murdered and told reporters she plans to return to Kill Devil Hills on Wednesday.
A 15-year-old was also hurt in the shooting. Police say he was shot in the thigh and returned to the pier the next day.
Police have charged 16-year-old Henry Hargis with first-degree murder. He is being held without bond in a Greenville juvenile detention center and is set to appear in court Aug. 12.
