Young North Carolina Man gunned down in convenient store, suspect at large (original) (raw)

Police are still searching for the person responsible for the 20-year old's death but say they believe they have interviewed them already and are waiting for the district attorney's office to review the evidence

Gunter was quickly transported by emergency medical personal to ECU Health Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

A young North Carolina man was tragically gunned down in a Pitt County convenience store on Tuesday.

Police were called to the Speedway on Highway 43 and Macgregor Downs Road outside of Greenville just after 3:40 p.m. on Tuesday for reports of gunfire. When they arrived they found 20-year-old Taeshawn Gunter of Pintops, NC suffering from gunshot wounds.

He was quickly transported by emergency medical personal to ECU Health Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

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No one has been charged in the case as of Sunday and police are asking anyone with information about the case to come forward. (

Image:

WITN)

Police searching for a suspect in the shooting said they believe they have already interviewed the person believed to have shot Gunter. At the time they had not completed their investigation of the shooting but said they would ask the district attorney to review the case regarding charging the individual with the murder, local WITN reported on Thursday.

No one has been charged in connection with the case as of Sunday and police are asking anyone with information about the case to come forward. Police said that this was an isolated incident and there is no risk to the general public.

Gunter's tragic death comes weeks after a seven-year-old boy was gunned down in nearby Burlington, NC after being struck by a stray bullet, police say.

The child was sitting outside of his building when he was struck by a single bullet, bleeding out as police made sense of the scene. Identified as Mason Jenkins, the seven-year-old boy was airlifted to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

"I just want justice for my baby," cried the boy’s mother, Ashley Welcher cried to local station WXII12. "He was a sweet, precious little baby, you know, just happy, go lucky," continued Welcher. "He was just very loving. That was my baby, just taken way too soon."

Police arrested Tremaine Armstrong, 18, of Burlington, and Kemontae Crosby, 21, of Graham, over the incident. The teenager, Armstrong, is charged with attempted first-degree murder, and Crosby is charged with "accessory after the fact to attempted first-degree murder."

Neighbors at the Beaumont Avenue Apartments held a vigil for Mason on Sunday, with many turning out to remember a boy who had only lived in the complex for four months.

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When police arrived they found 20-year-old Taeshawn Gunter of Pintops, NC suffering from gunshot wounds.

"A lot of people really love Mason," said Ashley. "You can’t help but to love Mason. He just wanted to go outside and play and be a kid, and he couldn’t even do that." The family has started a GoFundMe to help support Ashley and her two other children.

Burlington Police Chief Alan Balog released a statement expressing his agency's "deepest sympathies" with the family and "everyone affected by this act of violence."

“As your police department, we are committed to holding those responsible for this crime accountable and the investigation to gather every available fact is ongoing. Our community needs every person who saw what happened to step forward, do what’s right, and contact the police department," Balog added.

Authorities said that they had a line open for tips about the shooting, adding that there were dozens of people outside when the gun fight broke out. "We are seeking information, big or small, concerning this incident. There were over a dozen people present when the shooting occurred and we need to speak to every one of them,"police said in a statement on Facebook.

Anyone with information should contact the Burlington Police Department at (336) 229-3500. To report anonymously, call Alamance County-Wide Crimestoppers at (336) 229-7100 or use mobile app P3 Tips. Tips provided through Crimestoppers may be eligible for cash rewards, according to Burlington PD.

"We need everyone's help to gain the vital information to bring justice to the family of the 7 year old that was killed in this incident," added the police chief in the statement.