Moore County substation attacks still unsolved 2 years later

A substation attack that brought unwanted attention and suffering to a quiet Moore County area is still unsolved two years later.

2024-12-03

Two electrical substations were shot at on December 3, 2022, knocking out power for nearly 45,000 people during a cold snap. A Pinehurst woman died when her oxygen machine shut down as a result of the attack. Many didn't have power for as long as five days.

Investigators are still out in the cold after looking into hundreds of leads. At one point, officials were asking the public for help finding a minivan seen the night of the shootings.

The FBI, Moore County, the North Carolina Governor’s office, and Duke Energy are each offering up to $25,000 for information to solve the case, making the reward $100,000 in total. 

Weeks after the attack, there were two separate incidents of white supremacy hate banners hanging over Moore County highways.

Sheriff Ronnie Fields said he doesn't know whether the banners – or the angry protests surrounding a drag show on the night of the substation attacks – are related to the substation attack in any way.

One man recalled hearing "about 20 shots" at a substation in West End on NC-211 around the same time the shots were reportedly fired. The other substation was in Carthage, roughly 10 miles away. The area went black about 30 minutes after the shots were fired in rapid succession, according to the man.

A Duke Energy spokesperson did not answer questions about whether surveillance cameras are at the substation, but did add they increased security measures in the aftermath of the attacks.

Just three days before the shootings, the Dept. of Homeland Security released a memo, writing, "The United States remains in a heightened threat environment." The memo listed several targets of potential violence, including U.S. Critical Infrastructure.

The shootings occurred the same night that a drag show took place at a theater in Southern Pines. The show was heavily protested, but investigators did not make an official connection between opposition to the event and the attack.

Anyone with information about what happened is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL FBI (225-5324), the Moore County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 910-947-4444 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.