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Arrest made in North Carolina shooting captured on Facebook

WINGATE, N.C. >> A North Carolina man was charged today with a fatal shooting captured live on Facebook not far from a town’s police department.

Jail records show Douglas Cleveland Colson was being held without bond on a charge of first-degree murder.

Union County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Underwood confirmed Colson was charged in the death of Prentis Robinson, but referred other questions to the Wingate Police Department. The police department’s phone rang unanswered today.

Wingate Police Chief Donnie Gay told WCCB-TV that Robinson had been to the police department minutes before the shooting Monday morning and spoke with the chief about a cellphone that had been stolen from him.

According to a video posted by The Charlotte Observer, Robinson was walking down a street and broadcasting himself live on Facebook with a selfie stick Monday when the shooting happened.

At one point, he was heard saying “You on live,” apparently telling another person the conversation was being recorded. The person is seen with a long black object and then shots ring out.

The camera hit the ground after gunshots and showed sky and trees, and the gunman running away. A car pulled up and found Robinson.

The shooting happened near Wingate University and Wingate Elementary School in the town about 30 miles southeast of Charlotte. Both were temporarily locked down Monday during the investigation.

Robinson’s Facebook account described him as a musician who lived in Atlanta. The Charlotte Observer reported that Robinson lived in Charlotte during the previous decade but spent much of his adult life in Wingate and graduated from a local high school.

No phone listing could be found for Colson.

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