GPD responds to two shooting incidents after alerts, calls

Several residents reported being “locked down” in local businesses today, as Goldsboro police responded to two “ShotSpotter” alerts this afternoon.

The following is a detailed account of the incidents, as reported by Public Information Officer Latoya Henry:

“On August 11, 2021 at 12:25 p.m., the Goldsboro Police Department received two ShotSpotter Alerts. The first alert was at 917 E. Elm for two rounds and the second alert was for one round. Witnesses stated two vehicles were traveling east bound on Elm Street and that one vehicle had a male subject hanging out a car with what appeared to be a long gun. Officers responded to this location but did not locate any evidence.

Shortly thereafter, the Wayne County Communications Center received calls that two vehicles that were at the intersection of Royall Avenue and Berkeley Boulevard were each struck by one round of gunfire. Both vehicles were occupied with one person inside each vehicle. No injuries were reported. The Wayne County Communications Center also received calls from citizens stating a male subject was in the Cobblestone Plaza parking lot with what appeared to be a long gun, and that a male subject was in the parking lot of the Southern Bank with a long gun. Officers responded to both locations and did not locate a suspect.

As officers were responding to multiple citizen calls with ongoing information, they responded to the parking lot of Delmus’ Hardware, located at 1051 N. Berkeley Blvd., regarding a vehicle that had recently pulled into the parking lot and was left running which caused it to hit an unoccupied motor vehicle at this location. The male subject that was operating this vehicle was seen by witnesses running through the parking lot area firing a long gun. Officers saturated the area and located the suspect’s abandoned vehicle with one weapon inside it and a second long gun in the parking lot that is reported stolen from Nash County, N.C. The male subject who citizens observed running through the parking was not located. A local business in that area has provided video of the male subject running in the parking lot with the weapon that was recovered by officers at this location.

Shortly thereafter, the Wayne County Communications Center advised the Goldsboro Police Department that the N.C. State Highway Patrol was conducting a traffic stop in the vicinity of 70 East and Hwy 117, which led to the suspects in this traffic stop abandoning the vehicle in the highway and fleeing on foot. The radio traffic led to multiple law enforcement officers from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and NCSHP responding to both locations to assist with these investigations. Although both incidents happened at the same time neither incident was related to the other incident.”