Son Holds Triple Murder Suspect at Gunpoint Until Police Arrive After Alleged Shooter Kills His Parents: Reports

The son of a couple killed in a suspected triple murder held the alleged shooter at gunpoint until police arrived, according to reports

On Monday, Jan. 13, David Lever, 55, of Greenville, North Carolina, made his first court appearance after the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office confirmed he’d been arrested and charged with three open counts of murder in a Saturday, Jan. 11 release posted on Instagram.

This followed a Friday, Jan. 10 call to “an active investigation involving four different crime scenes” where three adult victims were found deceased from gunshot wounds, the release added.

Police have since identified the victims as husband and wife Anthony Gribble, 80, and Paula Gribble, 76; and Enrique Reyes, 64, all of Greenville.

Pitt County Sheriff, Paula Dance, told reporters at a news conference on Monday morning that if the son of the elderly couple hadn’t held Lever at gunpoint, more people would have likely died, per WITN.

“The investigation of these cases leads us to believe there would have been additional victims had a family member of the victims not intervened until our deputies were able to arrive,” Dance said, per the outlet.

Investigators “found at least 50 weapons” in the suspect’s home, as well as “a lot of ammunition in his van,” according to WTVD.

Dance provided a timeline of Friday’s events on Monday, claiming that Reyes, who lived on the same road as Lever, had visited a Food Lion at around 1:20 p.m. local time before heading home to his Forrest Acres Drive address, per ABC-affiliated local station WCTI.

Lever was reportedly seen leaving his own property at around 1:28 p.m., before he allegedly fired gunshots “as he left a Speedway gas station on NC 43 North, heading towards Peace Ridge Court,” the outlet stated. The Pitt County Sheriff’s Office received calls about the gunshots about a minute later.

Peace Ridge Court is where the Gribbles lived, per the police release.

Authorities reportedly received calls about Paula and Tony Gribble’s death at around 2:17 p.m., before officers received another call regarding a home invasion at another property and gunshots at around 2:50 p.m., the publication reported.

Dance told reporters that Lever had been linked to this crime as well. However, the property was unoccupied, the outlet stated.

“Let me offer my condolences to the family and friends of all the victims,” Dance said, per WITN.

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The outlet stated that police didn’t know of a connection between Lever and Reyes, who is thought to have been the first person shot, but Lever was reportedly the Gribbles’ realtor when they purchased their home back in 2014. 

Lever’s next court date is scheduled for Jan. 29, per the publication.

Dance didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional updates.