27-year-old accused of shooting, killing father & uncle, locking grandparents in bathroom

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. WLOS — Henderson County authorities have released new details in an ongoing homicide investigation.

During a press conference Monday morning, Nov. 22, Henderson CountySheriff Lowell Griffin announced 27-year-old Garrett Robert Eley had been identified as the suspect in a double homicide that took place Sunday evening in Hendersonville.

Sheriff Griffin said Eley is accused of shooting and killing his father, 60-year-old Stephen Robert Eley, and uncle, 57-year-old Brian Eugene Eley.

Garrett Robert Eley has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree kidnapping. He is currently being held in the Henderson County Detention Facility under no bond, pending a first appearance in court.

Griffin said the department believes a high-powered rifle was used in Sunday's shooting.

DETECTIVES INVESTIGATING DOUBLE HOMICIDE IN HENDERSON CO.; PERSON OF INTEREST IN CUSTODY

Officials say on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 9:32 p.m. the Henderson County E-911 center received a call regarding an assault with gunshots at 39 Beaumont Drive in Hendersonville.Officers determined upon arrival that two people had been fatally shot.

"Henderson County dispatch received an unusual 911 call," Sheriff Griffin detailed the events of Sunday evening. "The caller advised our telecommunicators that two people in the residence had been shot. What makes this so unusual is that the suspect admitted on the 911 call to being the shooter."

LISTEN TO THE 9-1-1 CALL HERE

Eley: There are two people dead in my house.

Dispatcher: Who are these people?

Eley: One of them was my father and the other was, um, my uncle.

Initially, Eley declined provide much information to the dispatcher, but the dispatcher pressed Eley for answers.

Dispatcher: I need this information, OK. Did you just come home and find them deceased?

Eley: Um, no.

Authorities said about 10 seconds later in the call, Eley confessed.

Eley: Um. I shot them both.

Griffin described the suspect's demeanor over the phone as "eerily calm." "Garrett Eley knew what he was doing was wrong and knew this was not only creating a tragic event but it was illegal and there would be repercussions," Sheriff Griffin said of the 911 call.

Griffin said deputies quickly arrived at the scene and took Eley into custody. During the 911 call, the dispatcher told Eley to walk out of the house with his hands up while still on the phone. Eley told the dispatcher he didn’t want to get shot as he came out of the house.

Deputies then did a sweep of the house and found other guns, Griffin said. Eley, told the dispatcher during the call his father’s body as in the garage covered with a sheet and his uncle’s body was in his uncle’s bedroom. All of them, Sheriff Griffin said, had been living in Eley’s grandparent’s house.

During Monday morning's press conference, Sheriff Griffin said the suspect's grandparents,Pat and Robert Barker, were found at the home locked in a bathroom Sunday night. Both were taken to the hospital for evaluation, but the sheriff said he was not aware of any specific injuries related to the incident.

On the 911, call Eley detailed what he said he did with his grandparents.

“I escorted them into the bathroom. I used a chair and taped it just to keep them there, while I got my head sorted out,” Eley told the dispatcher. “I had no intention of hurting either of them, I never did. This was between me and my dad and his brother.”

Eley told the dispatcher that he had been having verbal arguments with his father and or his uncle.

“A lot of death threats back and forth between each other over years, and, frankly, it kind of blew up tonight,” Eley told the dispatcher.

Officials say everyone involved in Sunday evening's incident were residents of39 Beaumont Drive.

During the press conference, Sheriff Griffin said the department's major investigations unit had been depleted during a very busy weekend, so the department called in the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) for assistance in Sunday's incident.

'THIS IS VERY, VERY RARE:' 2 DEAD WITHIN 2 HOURS IN UNRELATED HOMICIDE CASES, DEPUTIES SAY

The sheriff says interviews are still being conducted in the initial phase of the investigation and that no motive has been determined at this time.

"Right now, we're really unclear on all of the why's," he said.

Griffin said the suspect has been corporative with authorities in the initial stages of the investigation.

Sheriff Griffn shared the following closing statement during Monday's press conference:

There is no reason for this type of senseless violence. This is a complete tragedy that's going to ripple throughout this family. In my years in law enforcement, I've seen way too much of needless, senseless violence... I just ask that our folks in Henderson County, should they encounter any situation that they believe is too difficult for them to navigate, that before they turn to violence, they give us a call. We will set them up with the proper counseling, we'll provide the proper resources. There's absolutely no reason for this type of incident.

TRACK CRIME IN YOUR AREA WITH THE ALERTNEST CRIME MAP

This is a developing story. Check back at WLOS.com for updates.