By admin 
WHITAKERS, N.C. (WNCN) — Two men died in a shootout with each other outside a central North Carolina Dollar General Market — the second deadly shooting incident in two days outside such a store, officials said.
The most recent deadly shooting was reported just before 10 a.m. Saturday at the DG Market on U.S. 301 in Whitakers, about 6 miles south of Enfield, according to Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone.
When deputies arrived, they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest, a news release said. Deputies said officers tried to help the man, identified as Herbert Earl Lawrence Jr., but he died.
While deputies were investigating the scene, a second gunshot victim was found nearby at the intersection of Nash and White streets, deputies said. Officers also tried to help the victim, identified as Wilbert Silver III, but he also died, the news release said.
“Preliminary investigation indicates the two individuals were involved in a heated altercation that escalated into an exchange of gunfire,” deputies said in the release. “The shooting occurred at the Dollar General, and the investigation remains ongoing.”
Images from the scene showed authorities and crime scene tape near a gray sedan, which had an open door and was stopped just inside the DG Market entrance. U.S. 301, known as White Oak Swamp Road, was closed after the double shooting near West Nash Street.
Read more Man identified in fatal hit-and-run on Buffaloe Road: Raleigh police
The Nash County DG Market incident comes a day after an armed man was killed outside a store in a shooting involving Sampson County deputies, according to the North Carolina SBI.
The incident was reported around 3 a.m. Friday at the Dollar General Market at 9324 Faison Highway, just west of Interstate 95, according to a news release from the North Carolina SBI.
After arriving at the store, deputies encountered a 22-year-old armed man who was then shot and killed, the SBI said.
Shawn West Jr. was later identified as the man who was shot and killed. West was recently struggling with mental health issues, his family told CBS 17.
Two deputies have been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation, SBI said.