Shooting suspect appears in court, bond set at nearly $3.5 million
This map shows the neighborhood behind Hayes Jewelers where Virginia Street is located, where the shooting took place Saturday, and the blue line indicates Old Greensboro Street Extension, where the suspect was located Sunday night. He was found less than ten miles from the Welcome Church where he kidnapped a minister and his wife Sunday morning. Plowman appears to have stayed within a small area despite being sought for two violent crimes.
Zackary Lee Plowman, who faces multiple charges in a shooting in Lexington and an armed carjacking in Welcome over the weekend, was given a cash bond of almost $3.5 million in court Monday. He was ordered to have no contact with victims or witnesses if he were to be released.
Plowman is no stranger to the legal system. At the time he allegedly committed these crimes he was free after spending time in prison from January of 2008 until February of 2023 for second degree murder. In that case, Plowman pled guilty to second-degree murder and admitted that in 2006, his then-girlfriend had died from an overdose of cocaine he had given her. In North Carolina, a person can be charged with second-degree murder if they provide the drugs that cause a person’s death. Charges from a separate crime were included in that plea agreement, and Plowman was sentenced to serve 15-19 years.
Lexington Police and Davidson County Sheriff’s Deputies realized fairly quickly that the Lexington shooting and the county carjacking and church break-in were related.
On Saturday night, family and friends were at an informal gathering at a home in the 800 block of Virginia Drive when witnesses said Plowman pulled up and began shooting. Three adult men were hit, and Plowman escaped but witnesses were able to describe his car to police.
The three victims were taken to Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health hospital, and as of Monday afternoon, police say two of the victims remain in critical condition, and one is stable. In the courtroom Monday during Plowman’s arraignment, it was noted that should any of the victims die, charges will be upgraded and Plowman would be assigned a capital defense attorney, indicating the state could seek the death penalty.
Police were able to find Plowman in his car and tried to get him to pull over about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, but he raced away. Police found the car abandoned not long after, reportedly on Welcome-Arcadia Road, and as they processed evidence in the car, they were able to determine his identity.
Sunday morning, as the pastor and his wife of Community Fellowship Moravian Church on Welcome-Arcadia Road entered the facility before services, they were accosted by Plowman, who had a knife, according to Davidson County Sheriffs. It appears Plowman had broken into the church the night before. He forced the couple to get in their vehicle to drive him elsewhere, eventually letting them out of the car on City Lake Road before driving away himself. A passing motorist allegedly saw the couple and stopped to help, calling 911. The husband and wife were shaken, but are reportedly unharmed.
The two police departments then joined forces as they realized they were searching for the same suspect. A helicopter from NC Highway Patrol and bloodhounds from DCSO were brought in to aid in the search and the car Plowman had stolen from the minister was found, once again abandoned, on JD Essick Road, a street off City Lake Road that would have provided no outlet.
Investigators searched throughout the day, and at 8:45 p.m., a DCSO K-9 unit located Plowman on Old Greensboro Street Extension where he was arrested without incident.
At this time, Plowman’s motivation in the shooting is unknown. On a Facebook page that matches Plowman’s photo provided by police, he lists Rural Hall as his hometown but Winston-Salem as his current city of residence.
Plowman is now facing charges from both incidents. Felony charges include three counts of attempted murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, fleeing to elude arrest, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, breaking and entering of a place of worship, larceny after breaking and entering, and larceny of a motor vehicle. In addition there is one misdemeanor charge of larceny in connection with the kidnapping. His next court date is Feb. 19.
