The arrest of Larry Williams on a charge of first-degree murder Tuesday came after additional information was received and investigated, Roanoke Rapids police Lieutenant Charles Vaught said.

Keon Manning was arrested four days after the November 12 murder of 45-year-old John Paul Harrison Jr.

Captain Bobby Martin said investigators have an idea on motive but declined to disclose details. He declined to disclose the name of the shooter.

In a statement Vaught said after Harrison was shot multiple times he returned to his vehicle and fled the scene.

He traveled several blocks north on Monroe Street before striking another vehicle.

Williams was jailed without opportunity for bond and has a September 6 court date.

Vaught said investigators believe there may be additional witnesses in the case and encourages them to come forward by calling him at 252-533-2819 or Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.

The reward totals $5,000 per victim for a total not to exceed $20,000.

Between the governor’s announcement and private donations from family and friends of the victims, the reward in the case of the murders now exceeds $50,000.

The proclamation, signed by Cooper today, also sheds new details on the deaths of homeowners James and Janice Harris and their guests, James and Peggy Whitley.

It says the four were shot through a glass door while they sat playing cards at the dining room table. All the victims died at the table after they were shot multiple times in an apparent home invasion, the proclamation says.

Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp declined comment on that portion of the proclamation.

“To preserve law and order the person or persons who committed such an infamous crime must be brought to justice,” the document says.

The proclamation states the reward is for information leading to the arrest and convictions of the person or persons responsible for the crime.

The document says anyone with information should contact the sheriff’s office at 252-583-8201; Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444 or the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation at 919-779-8188.

“I’m very appreciative,” Tripp said. “As I reported earlier, I was in communications with the governor’s office and now the reward is at $51,000. The reward offered is at the discretion of the governor. Normally, it’s $5,000 per case. I thank Governor Cooper for having it at $5,000 per victim. We’re very appreciative of the $5,000 per victim.”

The crime was discovered Monday after a family member of the Harris’s went to the residence for a welfare check.

On Thursday evening, officers responded to BB&T to investigate two individuals acting suspicious.

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Both left after officers arrived, Captain Tommy Parker said in a statement.

They left in a white Nissan displaying North Carolina tag CEB-4344.

The driver committed several violations and decided to stop the vehicle.

The driver pulled into a driveway and waited for the officer to approach. As the officer approached, the driver sped off into a yard and headed north on Highway 258.

The operator of the vehicle made several attempts to elude officers by turning around during the chase.

Officers continued the pursuit into the county and lost the vehicle at the intersection of Bakers School and Shields Commissary roads.

Local residents reported the vehicle and suspects were last seen leaving from the Ventosa Road area.

The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office assisted.

Parker, who could not immediately be reached for further comment, said in the statement  anyone with information is encouraged to call the police department at 252-826-4112 or their local law enforcement agency.

The agreement is an important step for the warehousing facility, which will continue operations, saving jobs for the North Carolina community, the company said in a news release.

The RMEP operations include receiving, unloading and storage of supplier goods, as well as safeguarding and delivering items to client customers.

The former GSM Transport facility in Battleboro will continue operations under the management of the Michigan-based logistics company, with the completed transition to the former Safelite facility beginning this winter.

“We are excited to reach this agreement to grow our operations into North Carolina,” said Courtland Colding, vice president of client solutions for AEL Span. “The potential success of this venture is anchored by the strong team of employees in this market and our strategic partnership with Cummins. We look forward to working together to meet and exceed our customer’s logistics needs.”

This effort is part of Cummins’ larger supply chain transformation. AEL Span will employ about 150 employees and operate more than 232,000 square feet of space to support the Rocky Mount Engine Plant.

“When looking for a new warehousing partner, we considered the safety of our employees and others as well as operational and logistical improvements. We are pleased to be partnering with AEL Span. They share our values of diversity and inclusion,” said John Judd, Rocky Mount Engine Plant manager. “We are committed to the communities in which we do business, and we are looking forward to having a presence in the town of Enfield through our partner AEL Span.”

Enfield Mayor Barbara Simmons said in the statement, “AEL Span fits the mold for the type of company we want for the Enfield area. We look forward to a strong corporate partnership and the positive economic impact this company will have for the citizens of the Enfield area.”

Said Vernon Bryant, chair of the Halifax County Board of Commissioners, “AEL Span’s location in the former Safelite Glass facility is symbolic of the dynamic economy in which we work and live. We are confident AEL will find everything they need to thrive and succeed in Halifax County.”  

Trooper J.D. Warren said 21-year-old Christopher Richardson was driving a 1999 GMC pickup south when he lost control and went in the path of an oncoming vehicle. The crash occurred shortly after noon in the Ita community.

The oncoming vehicle struck the pickup’s passenger side door and ejected Richardson, who was not wearing a seatbelt, Warren said.

The driver of the other vehicle sustained minor injuries.

Warren said speed and carelessness were contributing factors.

“It’s another part of using available resources,” he said this morning.

Tripp plans on requesting the agency’s assistance in the case.

As the investigation into the deaths of James and Janice Harris and James and Peggy Whitley entered the sixth day today, Tripp had assistance early this morning from more than 40 Prison Emergency Response Team members around the Fishing Creek Road crime scene.

Tripp contacted Caledonia Correctional Institution which dispatched the state Department of Public Safety teams to the area.

There the teams searched woods, wood lines and ditches for any items of evidentiary value. Tripp declined comment on whether any evidence was discovered in the morning search.

Roanoke Valley Rescue Squad divers have previously checked the area with magnets.

Tripp declined comment this morning on what evidence has been collected from the actual crime scene, the house where the Harris couple hosted the Whitley’s Sunday for a weekly card game.

He would not discuss whether investigators were looking for one or multiple suspects in the case.

The only new information to emerge in the case came from a proclamation by Governor Roy Cooper, who approved a $20,000 reward Friday, bringing the total fund to $51,000.

It says the four were shot through a glass door while they sat playing cards at the dining room table. All the victims died at the table after they were shot multiple times in an apparent home invasion, the proclamation says.

The crime was discovered Monday after a family member of the Harris’s went to the residence for a welfare check.

“We’re in the planning stages,” Chief Chuck Hasty said following a community forum last week. “The costs are what we’re researching and getting community partners onboard.”

The Nashville Police Department is using the program, Chief Thomas Bashore told the audience at Kirkwood Adams, opening it February 9 and getting its first participant eight days later. “I spent seven and a half hours with the first guy at the hospital,” he said. “It took a year to get to 100 people.”

On the day of the forum two entered.

The program reached the 200th person on August 19.

The participation breakdown includes 129 men and 71 women, Bashore said. There are 173 people who came to the police department for opioid addiction and 27 for other addictions such as cocaine and alcohol.

In launching the program Bashore formed numerous partnerships including the Nash County Sheriff’s Office, the district attorney’s office and department of social services as well as corrections, the faith-based community, Coastal Plain Hospital along with others.

The program is not funded by local tax dollars, the chief said, instead it has been done through grants, donations and fundraising. “We spent $16,787 in the first year.”

Since beginning the program 117 people have entered a detox program; 94 are on intensive outpatient treatment and 99 are on short and long term residential placement.

For Bashore, the HOPE Initiative has the potential to reduce needle sticks, reduce incarceration, reduce property and build partnerships. “This is not an individual disease,” he said. “It affects a large number of people.”

A letter sent to Bashore by a family of someone who used the program speaks to its initial success. “The HOPE Initiative was aptly name,” part of the letter says. “You have given us hope for healing and a wonderful future for Matthew.”

And the need is growing, said Tish Shrader, a registered nurse and clinical supervisor in the Emergency Care Center of Halifax Regional.

Shrader was one of several speakers at an opioid epidemic community forum last week sponsored by the Roanoke Rapids Police Department.

“The need is growing. The dependence is getting worse,” she told the audience at Kirkwood Adams. “Patients are becoming more demanding and aggressive regarding their expectation that we will provide them with, or prescribe them narcotics.”

Because of this Halifax Regional has implemented a chronic pain policy. “We encourage patients to be seen by their primary care providers to manage chronic pain or to be referred to a pain clinic.”

The providers have access to the North Carolina Controlled Substance Database to see whether patients have been prescribed narcotics recently, including the type and quantity of the medication. “This has helped drive down prescriptions and, in turn, reduces the saturation of narcotics in the community,” she said.

But there are repercussions. “There are many people out there with legitimate health problems who need narcotics to manage their pain. Prescription drug abusers have made it harder for the ones who truly need the medications to get what they need.”

Shrader said in 2015 Halifax Regional saw 238 patient visits coded as illicit substance abuse and use for cocaine, heroin and other opioids. Fifteen of those visits were related to heroin.

Last year, Halifax Regional saw 353 visits with 24 related to heroin. “That’s a 67 percent increase in overall visits and a 62.5 percent increase in visits related to heroin.”

This year, Halifax Regional has seen 222 visits — 14 directly related to heroin. “That averages out to be approximately 30 patient visits per month and puts us on target to see about the same amount of visits as we did last year.”

Shrader commended law enforcement for its efforts for sponsoring drug drop-off days to get prescription medication out of homes.

“We see all sides of the issue in the emergency room,” she said. “We treat the patients affected by opioid use and abuse, whether it is intentional or otherwise.”

While Halifax Regional doesn’t currently have inpatient detox, it refers patients to nearby centers such as Coastal Plain in Rocky Mount, RINC in Henderson and others in Ahoskie and Greenville. “Halifax Regional does offer support and resources for substance abusers, as well as their family members. And family members of drug abusers are often forgotten collateral damage. They need support resources as much as the drug abuser.”

Deborah Marshall, an ER colleague with Shrader, is also part of the Celebrate Recovery jail ministry at the Halifax County Detention Center.

She sees addiction from inside the emergency room and inside the jail.

“I have been called out of the ER to a vehicle with someone not breathing on many occasions,” she said. “Their aces gray with no visible signs of life … You wheel them in, start an IV, give them Narcan and pray that it will work and that this will be the time they learn from their mistakes and will decide to change.”

They wake up confused and fighting, Marshall said.

While relieved the person has come around and given a second chance, “ … Then immediately they want to leave and you give them all the reasons they should stay and get help and they just want to walk right out the door to chase their next high.”

Marshall uses these opportunities to talk about Celebrate Recovery, AA and NA. “ … Unfortunately they have to want to change and there lies the problem. You can have all the resources in the world, but if they don’t want it, they will return to the same lifestyle.”

The jail ministry gives her another opportunity to reach out. “ … Most of them are not going to walk into a church service because of the fear of judgment and shame they have built up. So I go and meet where they are.”

On the law enforcement side, seizures of heroin have increased, Chief Chuck Hasty said.

In 2013 82 dosage units were seized. The following year 127 dosage units and 17.8 grams of heroin was seized.

With the advent of the City County Drug Task Force, the police department and task force seized 417 dosage units and 86.1 grams of heroin in 2015.

Last year 2,485 dosage units and 71.1 grams of heroin was seized. As of July 31, 34,851 dosage units and 6 grams of heroin have been seized.

The police department has administered Narcan more than 40 times since first carrying it in 2015 and on July 25 the police department field-tested seized drugs and it tested positive for heroin and Fentanyl.

District 6 Chief District Court Judge Brenda Branch said during a question and answer period, the problem is not just one of the streets and broken homes. “It’s also someone sitting in your home reading. Not all drug addicts are coming from the streets. They’re coming from everybody’s home. I see different types coming into my courts.”

On Sunday at approximately 12:30 a.m. Officer M. Hunsucker responded to a shots fired into a vehicle call in the 300 block of Madison Street.

Captain B.L. Martin and Investigator G.L. Williams investigated and  Williams obtained warrants on Zatez Shermal Perry, 18, and Keyshun Diarell Boswell, 20, both of Roanoke Rapids, for shooting into an occupied vehicle.

Perry was arrested shortly before 8 p.m. by Williams and served the warrant.

He received a $5,000 bond and September 9 court date.

Boswell has not been served and should be considered armed and dangerous.

Boswell is encouraged to come to the police department and take care of this matter.  

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Williams at 252-533-2821 or Halifax County Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.

No one was injured. Martin said it was not clear why the shots were fired.

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B&E suspect arrested

On Sunday at approximately 1:30 a.m.,  Lieutenant J. Baggett arrested and charged Salvatore Bartholomew Siracusa, 65, of Roanoke Rapids, with attempted breaking and entering and resisting/delaying/obstructing an officer.  

He received a $3,500 bond and September 6 court date.

The attempted breaking and entering charge stems from a matter investigated by Baggett on Saturday when Siracusa was observed attempting to go into a closed business.

The resisting charge stems from Siracusa jumping out a window of a residence when officers attempted to serve the warrant.

Master Officer A. Salmon, Hunsucker  and Officer J. DeSare assisted.

Disturbance call

On Sunday at approximately 5 a.m., officers responded to  a disturbance at Waffle House on Julian Allsbrook R. Highway.

There was a fight inside but the parties left before law enforcement arrived.  

During the investigation, Randy Rayshon Lee, 25, of Littleton, began cursing and yelling at staff and law enforcement.

After numerous times telling Lee to calm down and leave the property, he was arrested and charged with trespassing and resisting/delaying/obstructing an officer by  Baggett.

Lee received a $1,000 bond and October 13 court date.

Sergeant D. Jenkins and DeSare assisted.

Walmart larceny

Lieutenant Charles Vaught reported the police department is seeking the public’s help in identifying people in a larceny from Walmart which occurred Saturday around 9:50 p.m.

Clothing and electronics were taken.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the police department at 252-533-2810; Vaught at 252-533-2819 or Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.

Halifax County Sheriff’s Office Deputy R. Chin charged Allison Turner, 20, after responding to a call on Colonial Drive around 7 p.m. about a stolen card.

Chief Deputy Scott Hall said in a statement further investigation revealed the card was used at a local business.

Chin charged Turner with financial transaction card theft, financial transaction card fraud and possession of stolen property.

She was jailed on $5,000 bond and has a September 6 court date.

While Roanoke Rapids native Mark King could have simply kept the money, he donated it to the club which provides after school activities for children.

“It keeps the lights on,” said Kim Taresco, director of the Boys & Girls Club on Jackson Street. “I think it’s wonderful. That’s a lot of money. To give it to someone else is wonderful.”

King, who went to Roanoke Rapids High School with Taresco, has been a long time friend to the club. Taresco said. “He’s helped out in various ways, random acts of kindness.”

The events which led to King winning the $10,000 began with the Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament, King, now a software developer in Raleigh, said Monday night.

Within that tournament Gregory Poole Marine - Cat had a social media voting contest for contestants fishing on a boat powered by a Cat engine.

King didn’t plan on entering the photo contest but when he reeled in and photographed a 120-pound shark during the tournament the photo contest was on.

“We saw we had 46 likes,” he said, while the leading photo had 153.

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King’s sister, Melody Reid, entered the photo in the contest. “She was the reason for the victory surge at the end of the contest.”

Then there were the members of the Facebook group Roanoke Rapids High School Gang, made up of alumni and friends, who began sharing the photo.

The likes and shares grew. “People started clicking,” said Cindy Garris Boone, administrative assistant at the high school who is co-administrator of the page with Paul Johnson.

By the contest’s end, the photo of King and his brother-in-law Robert Reid had garnered 427 votes and was the winner of $10,000, which King had decided he would donate to the Boys & Girls Club.

“When I realized I could win the thing I sent out 100 emails to win this for Kim and the Boys & Girls Club,” King said. “The Roanoke Rapids High School group  took over from there. When it started going viral it was really heartwarming. We kept posting all over the place. My sister worked effortlessly to win this thing. Friday around lunchtime it a was battle.”

There was never a doubt where the money would go. “If I put effort or equity into something, I like to see results. The guidance and structure Kim provides to the kids reaps positive results to the community now and for years to come,” he said.

Tickets will go on sale this Friday (September 1st) for Montgomery Gentry on Friday October 20th at The Roanoke Rapids Theatre!

Tickets can be purchased at the Theatre's Box Office (credit/debit only), Big Time Pawn Shop (accepts cash), or online at bbptix.ticketleap.com!

BarnBurner Promotions is trying something new this time and have split the seating into four sections -

• Platinum - first 4 rows of Floor Section @ $65
• Gold - next 6 rows of Floor Section @ $45
• Silver - last 7 rows of Floor Section @ $35
• Bronze - entire Mezzanine Section @ $25

State Historic Site Manager Robert Bemis said there will be printing press, beer brewing and laundry demonstrations. There will be textile demonstrations from wool carting to spinning and demonstrations of drop spindles and natural dyeing.

There will be a militia musket demonstration along with gardening, cooking and men’s and women’s sewing.

The laundress was very important in the 18th Century, Bemis said. The laundress during Saturday’s demonstration will portray a camp follower and will show how lye and indigo was used to keep clothes clean and bright.

The demonstration will be a glimpse at the jobs which were available in Halifax during the time period, Bemis said.

Other than farming, jobs in Halifax would have included blacksmiths, farriers and coopers as well as dock laborers.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and there is a $2 charge for the program with free admission for children 12 and younger. Proceeds will go to the State Historic Site to enhance programming, Bemis said.

The activities will be held by the tap room and clerk’s office.

Captain A.M. Harris said in a statement  agents D.J. Epperson and C. Babb stopped the vehicle at Highway 158 and Hamill Road shortly after 5:45 p.m.

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Antwann Knight was identified as the driver and the passenger was Jacobi Harvey.  The task force has had run-ins with Harvey in the past but agents have had no past dealings with Knight, Harris said.

Harvey attempted to flee as the vehicle was searched, Harris said.

During the search Agent D.R. Radford, his dog, Tony, and Epperson seized the heroin.

The stop also led agents to the seizure of cocaine and a digital scale from Knight’s residence on Tulip Street in Littleton.

Harvey was arrested and charged with resisting a public officer and received a citation for an open container violation.

Knight was charged with possession with the intent to sell and deliver heroin, felony possession of heroin, felony possession of cocaine, two counts of maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.  

Harvey received a $500 bond and Knight a $3,000 bond. Both have September 20 court dates.

The stop commenced after Officer A. Green received information about a person driving without a license around 11:30 a.m., Chief Chuck Hasty said in a statement.

Green located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Eleventh Street.

Green discovered the driver, Terry Kearney Jr., 22, of Roanoke Rapids, did not have a license and the passengers, Kenneth Antwan Powell, 24, of Gaston, and Jeffery Simmons, 30, of Roanoke Rapids, had open containers.

According to the report, Powell removed two bags of heroin from his buttocks.

Powell was arrested and charged with trafficking heroin; possession with intent to sell and deliver heroin; possession of heroin and possession of an open container.

He received a $7,500 bond and September 9 court date.

Kearney was cited and released for no operator’s license and Simmons was cited and released for possession of an open container. They have October 23 court dates.

Lieutenant B. Norton, Master Officer G. Morris and his dog Champ and City County Drug Task Force Agent C. Babb assisted.

Shots fired  

At approximately 5 p.m. Tuesday officers responded to a shots fired call in the 300 block of Henry Street.

Officers discovered the people involved fled the area.

They found a van and utility trailer were damaged from the shooting.  

The preliminary investigation revealed two individuals were shooting at each other.

They were described as black males.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Investigator O. Wiltsie at 252-533-2823 or Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.

Digital radiography replaced computed radiography in July with the installation of multiple Siemens digital X-ray units.

DR reduces imaging study turnaround to less than one minute, compared to CR, which can take five to seven minutes.

“With DR, we can see the image on the machine itself,” says William Navarro, director of the Radiology Department. “In trauma situations, where minutes matter, that can be critical.”

DR also reduces the amount of radiation needed for each image.

A study in 2011 found the technology delivered a 50 percent reduction in radiation exposure for patients.

For Navarro, the switch reflects Halifax Regional’s commitment to staying on the cutting edge of patient care.

The Radiology Department at Halifax Regional bears the distinction of accreditation by the American College of Radiology in multiple imaging modalities including nuclear medicine, ultrasound, MRI, CT and mammography.

The accreditation ensures the department meets the high standards of ACR through evaluation of equipment, radiology reports, physicians and staff.

Five general X-ray rooms are now equipped with DR capability and there are four portable units. In addition, Halifax Regional’s Emergency Department now has one permanent and one portable DR unit.

Senior Judge Malcolm J. Howard set the sentencing of Antonio Tillmon for 10 a.m. in the United States courthouse in Greenville, according to a notice filed Wednesday in electronic records.

Tillmon’s attorney had requested a new trial for his client in June after he was found guilty in May.

In July the government filed its objections to a new trial. An order on Tillmon’s motion and the government’s objections has not yet been entered into the electronic record.

Count 1 — Conspiracy with intent to possess and distribute 1 kilogram or more heroin from November 2013 to April 2015

Count 2 — Conspiracy to use and carry firearms in relation to drug trafficking offenses from November 2013 to April 2015

Count 33 — Attempted possession with intent to distribute 1 kilogram or more of a substance containing heroin in October 2014

Count 34 — Use a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime in October 2014

Count 48 — Attempted possession with intent to distribute more than 1 kilogram of a substance containing heroin in March 2015

Count 49 — Use a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime in March 2015

Count 32 — Federal programs bribery in August 2014

Count 36 — Federal programs bribery in October 2014

Count 54 — Federal programs bribery in March 2015

The remaining defendants in the case, who all took pleas, were sentenced over the course of two days in June.

The defendants who took pleas were Lann Clanton, Wardie Vincent Jr., Thomas Jefferson Allen, Jimmie Pair, Jason and Curtis Boone, Ikeshia Jacobs, Thomas Jefferson Allen, Kavon Phillips, Adrienne Moody, Alaina Sue-Kam-Ling, Corey Jackson and Crystal Pierce.

Those are the thoughts of Tru Pettigrew, an author, speaker, ad executive and community organizer who will present a Building Bridges forum with the Roanoke Rapids Police Department next week.

The forum is set for September 7 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Kirkwood Adams.

The philosophy of what police can do with the community is something which was set in Pettigrew’s mind after a discussion with an officer who talked about his career ladder from a rookie to a seasoned veteran, he said today.

The forum next week will manifest itself through the COHORT course, which stands for Community Organizers Helping Officers Restore Trust.

COHORT came about three years ago as Pettigrew watched the “news images of unarmed African-Americans dying by law enforcement. My perception was based on other areas I lived in.”

Pettigrew went to the Cary Police Department and discussed who he was and discussed his concerns. The police department “reacted to me with open arms, an open heart.”

It was a step in bridge-building, he said. “It started for selfish reasons. I was concerned for my son.”

To build the bridges takes both sides, Pettigrew said. “The onus and responsibility are on all stakeholders.”

Roanoke Rapids police Chief Chuck Hasty met Pettigrew at a recent chief’s conference. “He told a story about how he got stopped. It’s about listening and talking out. We want people to come talk. We don’t know everybody’s stories so in order to do that we will take the time to get to know each other before we make any assumptions.

That process would include, depending on the circumstances which arise, reviewing body cameras and car cameras and talking to officers.

Hasty said holding forums like this one and ones in the past are one of the ways the police department tries to reach out to the community. “We want everybody in the community to come out. We want to know how we can help you, talk about disconnects and us coming together to fight the problems.”

Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp declined comment on whether this shooting was related to the murders of four people who played cards at a residence on August 20 in the vicinity of the drive-by.

No one was injured in the drive-by shooting, which the sheriff said in a statement was apparently related to the theft of guns taken in a breaking and entering which occurred earlier in the Old Hotel Road area off White Oak Road.

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Warrants in the Sunday shooting have been obtained for Jerrod Ivey Brinson, 28, and Charles Leon Brinson Jr., 30, both of Enfield. They have not been located. They tend to frequent the Enfield area.

Tripp said Rashad Monte Carter, 27, a resident of the house where the drive-by occurred, was arrested in the breaking and entering of the Old Hotel Road residence. He was arrested today.

The men are acquainted, Tripp said.

All three men have previous records and Jerrod Brinson has a manslaughter conviction dating back to 2008 in Wake County, state Department of Public Safety records show.

Charles Brinson Jr. has pending court dates in Halifax County for cyberstalking, chop shop activity and three counts related to breaking and entering, state court records show.

While Tripp stressed he would not comment on whether the three men could be tied to the murders of James and Janice Harris and James and Peggy Whitley, he did confirm the FBI has agreed to assist in the investigation.

The murders were discovered at the Harris residence August 21 after a family member went to the residence for a welfare check.

The only new information to emerge in the case came from a proclamation by Governor Roy Cooper, who approved a $20,000 reward last week.

That reward added to funds already pledged by friends and family members.

The proclamation says the four were shot through a glass door while they sat playing cards at the dining room table. All the victims died at the table after they were shot multiple times in an apparent home invasion, the proclamation says.

Roanoke Rapids police Lieutenant Charles Vaught said investigation into the shooting, which carried attempted armed robbery charges for Devonte Terrell Hudson, continues and investigators are looking into the possibility of other suspects.

Hudson, 25, of Roanoke Rapids, was arrested Thursday around 10:30 a.m. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon.

Chief Chuck Hasty said in a statement the charges result from Vaught’s investigation into the report of a shooting the evening of August 7 in which Hudson allegedly attempted to rob the victim.

The victim was shot once during the attempt and continues to recover, Vaught said.

Hudson received a $20,000 bond and has an October 17 court date.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Vaught at 252-533-2819 or remain anonymous and contact Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.

Anyone providing Information resulting in an arrest will be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

Investigators J.K. Davis, G.L. Williams and O. Wiltsie assisted.

Vehicle shooting update

A second person has been arrested and another is still at large following a Sunday morning shooting in which an occupied vehicle was fired upon in the 300 block of Madison Street.

Xavion Markise Perry, 16, surrendered to police Wednesday morning to face charges of discharging a weapon into an occupied vehicle.  

He was released to a responsible party and has a September 6 court date.

Zatez Shermal Perry, 18, was arrested later Sunday evening while Keyshun Boswell remains at large.

Boswell is encouraged to come to the police department and take care of this matter.  

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Investigator G.L. Williams at 252-533-2821 or Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.

No one was injured.

Fraud, larceny and trespassing

On Thursday around 11 a.m., Master Officer G. Morris charged Stephanie Anna Clewis, 35, of Roanoke Rapids, with obtaining property by false pretense.

He charged Marcus Lee Wyche, 32, of Roanoke Rapids, with larceny, possession of stolen goods and served him an outstanding order for arrest.

Garee Cordell Carr, 29, of Woodland, was charged with trespassing.

The charges stem from a call about a person removing items from Walmart without paying for them and then returning them for a refund.  

When Morris responded to Walmart, loss prevention told him Wyche took the items from the store and Clewis returned them for a refund.

Carr had previously been banned from the store.

Clewis received a $1,000 bond; Wyche a $4,000 bond and Carr a $500 bond. They all have October 4 court dates.

Sgt. M. Moseley assisted.