A Roanoke Rapids teen is tied to crimes which occurred Sunday evening — one a shooting and the other a break-in in which the victim was robbed of two pairs Nike sneakers.
The crimes occurred within about in a little more than an hour and a half of each other and began when Officer J. Wind and Master Officer R. Cross responded to what is traditionally called the no-hundred block of Madison Street on a shots fired call around 9:15 p.m.
Interim Roanoke Rapids police Chief Bobby Martin said in a statement as the officers were responding, two men coming from the area of the call flagged them down.
The officers and Sergeant M. Moseley spoke with the men, who told them they had been shot at by a group of men further down the block. “The victim was able to give the officers good information about who the shooter was and who some of the other subjects with him was as well,” Martin said in the statement.
The victim was shot at after he would not come to the group when they called him. When he didn’t come out one of the suspects pulled out a weapon and fired it at the victim.
Martin said this morning he believes the men were “trying to get his attention to potentially rob him and the victim probably thought better of it.”
Officers received a call the suspects were seen at Burger King on Roanoke Avenue.
The officers responding to the area were familiar with the suspects and headed to areas they believed they would flee. They located two of the alleged suspects as they tried to get to a home.
Tayevian Kearney, 17, was identified as one of the alleged suspects and charged with resist, delay and obstruct and assault with a deadly weapon.
Kearney received a $15,000 bond and March 6 court date.
The second reputed suspect was identified as Trevon Fields 21, of Roanoke Rapids. He was charged with resist, delay and obstruct and received a $500 bond and March 6 court date.
As the shooting investigation continued, police around 10:30 p.m. received a report of a break-in in the 300 block of Taylor Street.
Wind and Cross spoke with the homeowner.
Investigation revealed the suspect knocked on the door earlier in the night asking for someone who did not live there.
The victim told officers around 9:40 p.m. she heard a loud banging at her door and when she went to investigate the door was kicked open and a male entered her home pointing a gun at her telling her to give him money.
The alleged suspect went through the house searching for valuables and then fled from the home with a pair of Nike Air Jordan Retro and a pair of Nike Air 13 sneakers.
Officers began to piece together the suspects involved in that call were linked to so-called home invasion.
Evidence and descriptions tied Kearney to the Taylor Street crime as well and he was charged with burglary, kidnapping, assault by pointing a gun, robbery with a dangerous weapon, communicating threats, and damage to property.
He received a $15,000 bond for the Taylor Street crimes and a March 6 court date. “The officers investigating this case did a great job being able to link the two crimes together and capturing the individuals involved in these crimes,” Martin said in the statement.
Martin declined to speculate on whether the crimes were gang-related. “We had a group of individuals down in the area wreaking havoc.”
Investigation continues and more arrests are pending, Martin said.
No one was injured in either cimes.
Lieutenant B. Norton, Moseley, and officers S. Blythe, and J. DeSare assisted in both investigations.
