Andino, who was shot December 18 and later died at Halifax Regional Medical Center, took a stranger with him to meet a person known as reliable source.
Reliable source, who was setting up the Percocet deal, got nervous because a white person he didn’t know was with Andino, the documents say.
Even though Andino took the stranger back to Walmart, Cotton still allegedly shot him, when he came back to Chockoyotte Trailer Park with reliable source, affidavits filed by Roanoke Rapids Police Department detectives Charles Vaught and Frankie Griffin show.
The plan was for Cotton to get in the vehicle so it wouldn’t look like a drug deal, the documents say.
When reliable source opened the door to let Cotton in, Cotton said nothing and fired one shot in the vehicle.
Andino drove off but slumped forward and the car struck a fence on Chockoyotte Street. Reliable source fled the scene.
It wouldn't be until two days later, however, that investigators learned Andino, 23, of Halifax, was a murder victim. It was originally believed he died behind the wheel of his vehicle, which crashed into a fence on Chockoyotte Street, the documents show.
Officers found Andino laid back in the drivers seat and Officer Roy Ball noticed he had a pulse, based on movement in his carotid artery.
Lieutenant Ozzie Morgan checked for a pulse and could not find one. EMS arrived and began treating Andino as he was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. “The attending physician advised the cause of death appeared to be related to a medical problem because no signs of trauma could be located on Andino’s body,” the documents say.
Morgan requested an autopsy be performed because it did not appear to him the wreck was severe enough to cause death.
On December 20 an autopsy was performed at East Carolina University where it was discovered Andino had been shot, the victim of a homicide.
Halifax County Manager Tony Brown said in a recent interview EMTs did what they were supposed to, try to revive what was believed to have been a crash victim.
A paramedic not associated with the case told rrspin.com recently the first duty when faced with a situation like this is to try revive the victim.
The hospital said in a recent statement it was told the ambulance was bringing in a crash victim.
Cotton turned himself in to his probation officer the night of December 22.
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