Two lifeless and 13 injured after gunfire erupts at North Carolina “grime highway” Halloween get together with over 300 attendees

A rural North Carolina neighborhood is reeling after a mass capturing at a big outside Halloween get together left two folks lifeless and 13 others injured early Saturday morning. The occasion was promoted on social media because the “Halloween Filth Highway Get together.” It had the tagline “Ain’t no get together just like the grime highway get together.” The occasion held at 298 Dixon Drive close to Maxton in Robeson County.

The celebration drew a whole lot from close by cities, with no safety, no permits, and free-flowing alcohol. Because of this, creating what investigators now describe as a unstable setting that spiraled into tragedy round 1:15 a.m. on October 25.

The Robeson County Sheriff’s Workplace (RCSO) confirmed that deputies had been initially responding to complaints about loud music when a number of 911 calls flooded in reporting gunfire. By the point regulation enforcement arrived, the once-crowded get together had erupted into panic. Over 150 folks fled, abandoning automobiles, drinks, and private gadgets scattered throughout the darkened discipline.

Victims Recognized — Two Useless, 13 Wounded

Two victims had been pronounced lifeless on the scene: 49-year-old Jessie Locklear Jr. and 16-year-old Nehemiah Locklear, each from Lumberton. Though they share a surname, investigators clarified that the 2 are not associated. Nonetheless, early stories had been suggesting a father-son relationship.

The 13 others injured—aged between 17 and 43—had been taken to a number of hospitals throughout the area. One was airlifted to UNC Medical Heart in Chapel Hill in essential situation. In the meantime, others sustained non-life-threatening accidents.

These damage included a number of younger adults and youngsters from neighboring cities. They got here from locations similar to Maxton, Pembroke, and Raeford. These areas are carefully linked to the Lumbee Native American neighborhood that makes up a lot of Robeson County’s inhabitants.

Officers described the incident as one of many largest and most violent shootings in current county historical past, marking a devastating blow to a area already combating repeated cycles of neighborhood violence.

Gunfire Erupts With out Warning

Witnesses say the get together had been going easily earlier than an argument close to the sting of the property rapidly escalated into chaos. A number of shooters reportedly opened hearth utilizing several types of firearms. Thus, spraying bullets towards the gang and close by automobiles.

Social media movies posted earlier than the capturing present dozens of younger folks dancing beneath flashing lights, crimson cups in hand, and a DJ sales space blaring Southern rap. The tagline on the occasion flyer—“Go away ya drama with ya mama”—took on a grim irony as bullets flew throughout the open discipline.

Investigators say there have been no safety guards or regulation enforcement presence on the occasion, which didn’t require a county allow beneath the 500-person threshold that will have mandated security protocols. Alcohol was being consumed freely. Many attendees had been reportedly underage.

Sheriff Burnis Wilkins described the scene deputies encountered as “chaotic and heartbreaking.” Thus, noting that victims and witnesses had been scattered and panicked when regulation enforcement arrived.

Sheriff’s Assertion and Ongoing Investigation

In a press convention, Sheriff Wilkins condemned the recklessness that led to the tragedy.

“This was yet one more mindless act of gun violence that has taken the lives of two people and left many others critically injured,” Wilkins stated. “What makes this much more disturbing is the involvement of youngsters, alcohol, and weapons at a big home get together. As seen right here, the implications are as soon as once more tragic.”

He emphasised that the RCSO is working with a number of companies, together with the District Legal professional’s Workplace, North Carolina Freeway Patrol, Alcohol Legislation Enforcement (ALE), and the ATF.

Whereas a number of individuals of curiosity have been recognized, no arrests have been made as of Sunday morning. Investigators imagine a number of shooters had been concerned however are nonetheless figuring out motives and ballistics.

Authorities additionally stated the tenant of the property is cooperating totally. “We’re treating this as an remoted incident,” Wilkins added. “There’s no ongoing menace to the general public.”

Residents with info are urged to contact RCSO investigators at 910-671-3100 or e-mail [email protected], and suggestions might be supplied anonymously.

A neighborhood haunted by recurring violence

Robeson County, positioned close to the South Carolina border, has lengthy battled cycles of violent crime, substance abuse, and poverty. It’s additionally house to one of many largest Native American populations east of the Mississippi, with many households linked by prolonged kinship networks beneath widespread surnames similar to Locklear, Oxendine, and Chavis.

This newest tragedy follows a triple murder earlier on this yr. Thus, elevating renewed issues over youth violence and the simple availability of firearms in rural North Carolina. Sheriff Wilkins has beforehand referred to as for tighter neighborhood oversight and accountable internet hosting of huge gatherings.

Regardless of repeated efforts by native officers to advertise neighborhood watch packages and violence prevention initiatives, the county stays burdened by one of many highest violent crime charges per capita within the state.

Social Media Reactions: Grief, Blame, and Hypothesis

The capturing sparked a direct wave of on-line response, with posts throughout X (previously Twitter), Fb, and TikTok capturing the whole lot from condolences to controversy.

Many customers expressed disbelief and sorrow. Due to this fact, sharing photographs of the victims with messages like “Heartbreaking — prayers up for Robeson County” and “Two lives gone too quickly.”

Others turned the dialogue towards the county’s id and racial dynamics. Thus, noting that “Locklear” is a typical Lumbee surname. Some feedback made assumptions in regards to the victims’ backgrounds. In the meantime, others criticized what they perceived as lack of nationwide consideration in comparison with comparable tragedies elsewhere.

One publish learn:

“No nationwide headlines for this one — simply one other Saturday night time in America. Weapons, youngsters, and alcohol — the deadliest combine.”

One other native commenter urged compassion over judgment:

“These youngsters are our neighbors, our cousins, our household. Cease turning each tragedy right into a statistic.”

The divide on social media displays the deeper tensions in Robeson County — a spot the place small-town familiarity meets longstanding frustration over poverty, policing, and misrepresentation.

Sheriff Urges Cooperation Amid Silence

Investigators have stated that whereas some witnesses have come ahead, many are refusing to speak, a recurring concern in native instances. Sheriff Wilkins publicly pleaded for assist, saying silence solely permits the shooters to stay free.

“Individuals know who fired these pictures,” he stated. “Somebody noticed what occurred. We’d like the neighborhood to step up and converse earlier than we lose much more lives.”

Authorities have additionally requested anybody who recorded movies or pictures from the occasion to submit them on to investigators as an alternative of circulating them on-line. Due to this fact, warning that the unfold of misinformation might hamper the continued investigation.

A Grim Reminder Earlier than Halloween Evening

The Robeson County capturing arrives simply days earlier than Halloween weekend celebrations throughout the U.S., serving as a chilling reminder of how rapidly pleasure can flip to tragedy. Whereas officers proceed piecing collectively what occurred on that darkish nation highway, the ache left behind is speedy and immense.

Candles and flowers have already appeared close to the grime path the place Jessie and Nehemiah Locklear misplaced their lives — two people from the identical neighborhood, taken far too quickly.

Sheriff Wilkins closed his assertion with a name to reflection:

“Alcohol and weapons don’t combine — at any age. What occurred right here ought to by no means have occurred. Our neighborhood deserves higher.”