Grand jury indicts KDH teen on first-degree murder, assault with deadly weapon charges

The Dare County Justice Center in Manteo as it appeared the morning of Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (Photo by Corinne Saunders)

By Corinne Saunders

MANTEO — A grand jury on Monday morning indicted a Kill Devil Hills teen with one count of first-degree murder in the death of Zane Thomas Hughes, 19, and one count of assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill inflicting serious injury in the shooting of the 15-year-old bystander.

The Dare County Grand Jury indicted Henry Lee Hargis, 16, with both charges, and his next court date is Oct. 13, District Attorney Jeff Cruden said in a press release issued around 11:20 a.m. Monday.

Both charges stemmed from the fatal shooting at Avalon Pier the afternoon of July 31, for which Hargis is being charged as an adult.

The grand jury convened in the courtroom at the Dare County Justice Center in Manteo at 10 a.m. on Monday. Cruden was present in person.

Judge R. Andrew Womble confirmed with the grand jury’s “alternate foreperson” that they were up to the task, then dismissed the 13 members to conduct their business in a separate room, as he said 12 people comprise a grand jury quorum.

Womble noted that two absent grand jurors were excused, but asked that calls be made to an unspecified number of other grand jurors to “ask why they are not present.”

At 10:45 a.m., the grand jury’s alternate foreperson returned to the courtroom and approached the bench. Womble reviewed paperwork and announced: “Nine bills of indictment were presented. Nine were returned as true bills.”

It was not immediately other clear what other cases the grand jury had considered, as Hargis was indicted on two charges.

As of 12:35 p.m. when the court recessed for lunch, Womble had not mentioned Hargis’ case by name.

Hughes was a graduate of First Flight High School in Kill Devil Hills, where he was a member of the National Honor Society, and he earned an associate degree in accounting from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, according to his online obituary. His funeral took place Sunday afternoon at Twiford Funeral Homes Colony Chapel in Manteo.

There is a GoFundMe for Hughes’ funeral expenses and a GoFundMe for the surviving teen’s medical expenses.

Hargis attended First Flight High School from Aug. 28, 2023, until Sept. 12, 2024, according to the Dare County Schools’ spokesperson. Further information about his school record is unavailable due to federal and local school privacy laws.

Cruden said in a prior interview that Hargis and Hughes knew each other, while the injured teen was a bystander on vacation.

While Hargis is being charged as an adult, he is currently incarcerated at a juvenile detention facility in Greenville.

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