OUTER BANKS, N.C. — KITTY HAWK, N.C. — The mother of a 19-year-old who was fatally shot at an Outer Banks fishing pier is sharing memories of her son.
Zane Hughes was shot and killed Thursday at the Avalon Fishing Pier in Kill Devil Hills.
His mother, Nicole Hassell, spoke with media outlets in Raleigh.
"My baby is gone, but he will live on in so many hearts forever," Hassell said.
In an emotional interview, Hassell addressed the suspect accused of killing her son: "You should have let your heart tell your temper to put that gun back down."
Hassell described her son as a bright young man with a promising future.
Hughes had graduated from First Flight High School and attended UNC Charlotte last fall.
"Zane lit up any room that he walked into. He had the best sense of humor, and his laugh was contagious," Hassell said. "Zane was a young man so full of courage, ambition, love, integrity, and life."
A 15-year-old was also injured in the shooting.
According to police, he was shot in the thigh and returned to the pier the following day.
Police have charged a 16-year-old with first-degree murder.
He is being held without bond in a Greenville juvenile detention center and is scheduled to appear in court on August 12.
