Search On For Kia Forte Driver In Mooresville Road Rage Shooting

MOORESVILLE, NC — The suspect accused of shooting a Mooresville man in the stomach in front of his wife and child Sunday morning during a road rage incident was driving a late model Kia Forte, according to authorities who have obtained video of his car.

According to the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, the sedan is a gray or silver 2008 or newer model compact sedan. Early vehicle descriptions was that the vehicle was a Nissan Sentra, “However, after much investigation, Iredell County Sheriff’s Office Detectives located video footage of the vehicle in question,” ICSO said Wednesday.

The Feb. 23 shooting occurred shortly before noon, after the victim and his family passed a slow moving vehicle on Fern Hill Road, ICSO said Monday. The driver of the slower vehicle — now known to be a Kia Forte — then began tailgating the family's silver Ford Explorer, and later threw an object at their vehicle when they stopped at the intersection of Judas and Cornelius roads.

According to deputies with the Iredell County Sheriff's Office, at that point, the victim then began following the suspect onto Cornelius Road, where the driver eventually pulled into a driveway in the 700 block.

The victim, who authorities identified as Brian Keith Ludwick of Mooresville, got out of his vehicle to speak to the driver of the Kia, at which point the driver pulled out a handgun and shot him in the abdomen before fleeing the scene at a high rate of speed.

The sheriff's office said the suspect is described as a white male with brown hair, slight facial hair and possibly in his 20s to 50s. He was wearing sunglasses with an orange reflective tint, ICSO said.

"Ludwick was transported to Carolina's Medical Center where he was immediately taken in for surgery," ICSO said. "He is in serious but stable condition."

The sheriff's office said that anyone with information on the identity of the driver of the suspect car, or who saw anything suspicious in the area, is asked to please call the Iredell County Sheriff's Office at 704-878-3180.