By admin 
A dispute at a furniture factory turned deadly when the company’s 85-year-old founder shot a man who serves on the Alexander County Board of Education, according to investigators in North Carolina.
Read more Nvidia-SC State ink deal. Who benefits from latest foray by Calif. Rep. Khanna?
It happened around 3:20 p.m. Wednesday at the Old Hickory Tannery in Newton, and the suspect and victim were partners in the company, according to Furniture Today.
“When officers arrived on scene, they located a male identified as Robert Roger Arguelles, 59, of Taylorsville N.C., in an office area, that had sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and back. Life-saving efforts were started but were unsuccessful,” Newton police said in a June 17 news release.
“The preliminary investigation indicates the male victim and a co-worker, identified as Willard Gary Black, 85, of Hickory N.C., had an altercation and Willard Black shot the victim in the chest and back.”
Black was arrested at the scene and a weapon was recovered, police said. He is charged with second degree murder, investigators said.
A 2018 article in Furniture Today reports Black was owner and founder of the company, and Rob Arguelles had become an investor and new partner.
Read more Nvidia-SC State ink deal. Who benefits from latest foray by Calif. Rep. Khanna?
Alexander County Schools Supt. Bill Griffin reports Arguelles represented District 1 on the school board.
“It is with heavy hearts that we mourn alongside the Alexander County Schools’ family, friends, and the entire community that Rob Arguelles so devotedly represented,” Griffin said in a Facebook post.
“He was an amazing father, husband, and board member who has faithfully supported our school system for almost four years.”
Board Chair Josh Dagenhart called Arguelles “a brilliant soul, a great man, and a dear friend.”
Old Hickory Tannery makes custom furniture in collaboration with designers and furniture retailers, according to its website.
Read more 2 Lexington men charged for child sexual abuse material, SC officials said
Newton is about a 55-mile drive northwest from uptown Charlotte.