A man shot in self-defense at his family’s business in Greenville, North Carolina, didn’t have to be transported far for his final arrangements. The man, Terence Rountree, Jr. was shot and killed by a family member after a dispute with the relative turned violent in the funeral home the family owns and operates.
Around 4 p.m. on Sept. 6, a Greenville police officer was flagged down by a man who told them somebody nearby had been shot, WITN reported. Police descended upon Rountree Family Mortuary where they found the 34-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound that ultimately proved fatal. Rountree was the son of the mortuary’s owners. News reports did not disclose which family member shot him nor what the relation of that family member was to the deceased Rountree.
The Pitt County District Attorney ruled on Sept. 13, one week after the shooting, that no charges would be filed in the matter.
A funeral service was held for Rountree Monday, Sept. 16 at 11 a.m. at Philippi Church of Christ in Greenville with a viewing the prior evening from 2-7 p.m., ironically, in the very funeral home where he was shot and killed.
There were apparently no hard feelings toward the deceased following whatever violent encounter led to the justified shooting as the family posted a short, but kind obituary along with a video of the man’s life on their website:
It is with profound sorrow that the Rountree family announce the transition of their dearly beloved Terence Eduardo Rountree, Jr., age 34, of Greenville, North Carolina. The Public Viewing will be held Sunday, September 15, 2024, 2:00 PM til 7;00 PM at Rountree Family Mortuary & Cremation Service, 1206 Dickinson Avenue, Greenville, North Carolina 27834. The Celebration of Life Service will be held on Monday, September 16, 2024, 11:00 AM at Philippi Church of Christ, Greenville, North Carolina 27834. Mr. Rountree will be laid to rest in Homestead Memorial Gardens, 4251 E. 10th Street, Greenville, North Carolina 27858.
In another twist in the already strange story, Rountree’s death was posted on the National Gun Violence Memorial, a website that claims to keep a tally of “Americans Killed With Guns,” apparently without any distinction of whether the death was a justified (defensive) shootings, homicide, suicide or accidental.
The site’s About Page states: On an average day, 108 people are shot dead in the United States (including suicides, homicides and accidents). This is a shocking statistic, but it is easy to forget that these are human beings, not just numbers. Steve started the National Gun Violence Memorial in December of 2015 to humanize the problem by showing victims’ faces and telling their stories. It is now a community effort led by several dedicated volunteers and with contributions from thousands of visitors.
While visitors to the site can submit a posting through the group’s Facebook page, the site also says it pulls from the oft-criticized Gun Violence Archive (GVA), which lumps shooting data together with little to no distinction on the type of shooting it was. The GVA does not distinguish if a shooting was defensive or not. Rountree’s death was listed on the GVA.
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