One man was shot in the arm after gunfire erupted in the North Main Street store’s parking lot, investigators said.
HIGH POINT, N.C. — A dispute that began over a turkey inside a Food Lion on North Main Street spilled into the parking lot and turned into a shooting that wounded one man Thursday evening, police said. Officers were called at about 6:05 p.m. to 2705 N. Main St., where they found the victim with a gunshot wound to the arm.
The case matters now because it unfolded during a busy weeknight at a neighborhood grocery store, drawing a large police response and rattling shoppers. High Point police say the confrontation started inside the store when a customer argued with an employee about a turkey. Another customer intervened, and the two customers began arguing and fighting. Investigators say the men then moved outside, where they exchanged gunfire, striking one of them. Detectives interviewed one of the men at the scene while the injured man was taken to a hospital. Authorities emphasized the incident was isolated and not an active-shooter situation, but the investigation remained open late Thursday.
Police said the sequence began just after 6 p.m., as employees and shoppers prepared for the dinner hour. According to the department, a customer confronted a store employee about a turkey inside the Food Lion. Another customer stepped in and the argument escalated into a physical fight. One of the men went outside to retrieve a firearm. As he started walking back toward the store, the other man came out. Both men fired, police said, and one was hit in the arm. Officers arrived within minutes, secured the parking lot with crime-scene tape and worked to separate witnesses. “This was an isolated incident. It was not an active shooter situation,” the department said in a statement.
The shooting happened at 2705 N. Main St., a shopping corridor lined with small businesses and restaurants north of downtown. Police said both men were still at the scene when officers arrived. Detectives interviewed one of them at length in the parking lot and later at police headquarters, while paramedics took the wounded man to a local hospital. Late Thursday, police had not released the men’s names, ages or the type of firearms recovered. They also did not provide the number of total shots fired, saying only that rounds were exchanged outside the front entrance. A store employee told local reporters the initial disagreement involved a turkey at the meat counter, but police did not specify whether a sale or promotion was at issue.
High Point, home to roughly 115,000 residents, has seen routine retail traffic along North Main Street as the holiday season nears, and grocery stores often see higher evening crowds. While parking-lot confrontations are not unheard of, police underscored that Thursday’s violence did not involve a random attack inside the aisles. The Food Lion remained open to employees as detectives processed the scene, examining shell casings near the curb and reviewing exterior surveillance cameras mounted above the entrance. Video shared by local outlets showed flashing patrol lights reflecting off shopping carts as officers directed customers away from the front of the store. The department’s public information team said additional details would be released when appropriate.
Detectives were working to determine whether either man had a concealed-carry permit, who fired first, and whether any rounds struck nearby vehicles or storefront windows. Investigators were also seeking receipts, surveillance video and employee statements from inside the store to establish the timeline before the men walked outside. Police did not announce any arrests Thursday night and did not list charges, saying the case file would be reviewed as new evidence is collected. Case report number 2025-28041 was assigned to the investigation. Officers urged anyone with information to contact the department or Crime Stoppers.
By late evening, cruisers still lined the storefront as officers took measurements and photographed the area. A small crowd formed near the edge of the lot, where one shopper described confusion as customers tried to leave while crime-scene tape went up. A worker wheeled a train of carts across the lane while detectives moved between orange evidence markers under the canopy. “It all happened so fast,” one bystander said as tow trucks eased past to exit the lot. Store managers did not immediately comment, and a spokesperson for Food Lion did not return messages seeking information on staffing or store hours during the investigation.
As of Friday morning, police said the wounded man was being treated at a local hospital and was expected to survive. Detectives planned to collect additional statements and obtain store video, with the next update anticipated as evidence is processed. Authorities said they would release the identities of those involved and any charging decisions when they are ready.
Author note: Last updated November 14, 2025.