Cullowhee man charged after Yellow Mountain incident | Top Stories

A Jackson County man is facing multiple felony charges after the Sheriff’s Office investigated what appeared to be a road rage incident.

Michael Brennan Kinsey, 28, of Keyhole Lane, Cullowhee, was arrested on one felony count each of discharging a weapon into an inhabited property, discharging a weapon into an inhabited property causing great bodily injury and attempted voluntary manslaughter.

Kinsey was taken into custody on June 18 after a warrant was issued for his arrest the previous day in connection with a May 29 shooting in the Glenville area.

On May 29, officers, firefighters and emergency services were called to the area because of a shooting.

According to the arrest warrant, the incident occurred at the intersection of Yellow Mountain Road and North Norton Road.

“Officers responded and found a male victim with a single gunshot wound,” said Captain Tony Cope.

An investigation was launched and, based on witness statements, it was eventually determined that the incident was the result of road rage and that Kinsey was the suspected shooter.

He is accused of firing a handgun at a Georgia-registered Ford Escape that contained four passengers, three men and one woman. According to the arrest warrant, the victim, Abel Osorio, was struck by at least one bullet in the left arm.

“The victim was flown to Mission Hospital in Asheville, but was treated and released,” Cope said. “The other three occupants of the vehicle were not injured.”

The investigation is ongoing, Cope said.

If convicted on all counts, Kinsey could face a long prison sentence.

Firing a weapon into occupied property can be charged as a crime in two ways, depending on the circumstances.

By itself, it is a Class E felony, punishable by up to 63 months in prison if convicted. It becomes a more serious Class D felony if shooting occurs at an inhabited dwelling or inhabited vehicle, with a potential sentence of up to 160 months.

Firing a weapon into an inhabited property and causing serious bodily injury is a Class C felony punishable by 44 to 182 months in prison.

Attempted premeditated murder is a Class B2 felony and, if convicted, carries a sentence of between 93 and 393 months in prison, depending on the circumstances and the defendant’s criminal history.

Kinsey was booked into the Jackson County Detention Center but was not on the jail roster as of Wednesday morning.