KDH man arrested, charged in Saturday night shooting that injured another KDH man out on bond

A Kill Devil Hills Police Department car is shown with lights on. (Photo courtesy Kill Devil Hills Police Department)

By Corinne Saunders

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KILL DEVIL HILLS — A 40-year-old Kill Devil Hills man arrested Sunday, charged with the Saturday night shooting that sent another Kill Devil Hills man to the hospital, bonded out within minutes, court records show.

A Kill Devil Hills Police Department officer arrested Timothy Devin Drake of the 100 block of E Fresh Pond Drive in Kill Devil Hills and charged him with felony “AWDW serious injury”—assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, court records show.

 Timothy Devin Drake (Photo courtesy conditions of release and release order)

Christopher Whitehead, 53, was shot in the 100 block of E Fresh Pond Drive on Saturday, with officers responding to the call at 10:15 p.m., according to a Town of Kill Devil Hills Police Department press release issued on Monday morning.

The initial report of shots fired “was subsequently updated to an individual suffering from gunshot wounds in the 1900 block of South Croatan Highway” in Kill Devil Hills, according to the press release.

Dare County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) provided initial medical care and transported Whitehead to the Outer Banks Health Hospital in Nags Head, but he was later transferred to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, where he remains in stable condition, according to Monday’s release.

“This investigation is active and ongoing,” the release said. “Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the Kill Devil Hills Police Department at 252-449-5337 or Dare Central Communications at 252-473-3444.”

Drake’s arrest warrant was dated Sunday, Nov. 30, with Saturday, Nov. 29, listed as the date of offense.

Drake posted his $15,000 unsecured bond on Sunday at 9:07 p.m., with the arrest warrant having been returned served just minutes prior to that, at 9:03 p.m., according to online court records. He appeared in Dare County District Court on Tuesday, waived his rights to counsel and is next scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 18.

According to Whitehead’s daughter, Ariana Drayer, her father was shot in both of his legs, and he suffered a fractured fibula.

“He will be having a very hard time walking for a while,” Drayer wrote on the Meal Train fundraiser she launched on his behalf. People can block a day to deliver Whitehead a meal or donate money through the fundraiser.

“[He] was trying to follow a wire of some sort to fix his cable to his house (so he thought) he followed it & it led under his neighbor’s house,” she wrote. “Without any warning shots or talking to my father his new neighbor shot at him 4 times & hitting [sic] him twice in both of his legs…my father was already walking away when he did this.”

According to Drayer, her father was already disabled and suffering from a brain injury and loss of control of his right hand from a stroke he suffered following a previous attack in 2017.

“My father was stabbed in the neck, which severed his carotid artery,” she wrote in a GoFundMe fundraiser to assist with his living expenses.

Patrick Griggs of Frisco was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison for the stabbing attack, the Outer Banks Voice reported on March 27, 2018. Griggs’ projected release date is in June 2042, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.

Drayer told Outer Banks Insider on Wednesday that she expected her father to be released from the hospital on Thursday.

Residents had shared observations of multiple police vehicles and crime scene tape around E Lake Drive shortly before midnight on Saturday on social media.

On Sunday afternoon, officials confirmed there had been a shooting but did not release details.

“I can confirm that there was a shooting resulting in someone being hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries,” Lt. Julie Haner of the Kill Devil Hills Police Department said in an email response, stating that a press release was anticipated on Monday.

It was not immediately clear why details were not made available sooner.

The Kill Devil Hills Police Department in its press release thanked the following agencies for their assistance: Kill Devil Hills Fire Department, Dare County EMS, Nags Head Police Department, Kitty Hawk Police Department, Dare County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and Dare Central Communications.

To support Whitehead, the Meal Train link is here and the GoFundMe link is here.

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UPDATE: This article was updated at 10:51 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, to include the fundraisers for Whitehead, information from his daughter, information about a separate, prior attack on Whitehead and Drake’s court update.

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