A Maxton man who was found dead in his car after it crashed into a tree had been shot, according to authorities in Robeson County.

Officials said the death of Robert Neil Strickland, 32, of N.C. 130 West, is being investigated as a homicide.

An autopsy is expected to help investigators determine whether Strickland died of a gunshot wound or injuries suffered when his vehicle wrecked Saturday at 10:52 p.m. Officials said the autopsy will also determine how many times Strickland was shot.

According to Sgt. S.J. Greene of the state Highway Patrol, Trooper Matt Locklear initially investigated the accident as a traffic fatality, but called the Sheriff’s Office when evidence pointed toward a shooting death.

Greene said that Strickland had not suffered frontal injuries that would be consistent with an accident fatality, and there was a lot of blood in the back of the vehicle, behind the driver’s seat.

Greene, who went to the accident site, said the 1998 Ford Mustang, a convertible, crashed into a tree in a residential yard on N.C. 130, just south of Maxton. He said Strickland’s foot was stuck on the accelerator and the vehicle was “bogged down” in a trench that had been plowed out by spinning tires.

The Sheriff’s Department is being assisted by the State Bureau of Investigation and agents with the federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

No arrests have been made, but the Sheriff’s Office does has “a person of interest.”