Rashad O’Neil, a 25-year-old African American male from Kinston, North Carolina, was tragically killed in a shooting on September 20, 2021. The incident occurred early in the morning near the intersection of Pollock Street and W. Washington Avenue. The Kinston Police Department received a call at approximately 5:10 a.m. reporting that a person had been shot. Upon arrival, officers found Rashad O’Neil and Micro Croom, a 59-year-old male, both suffering from gunshot wounds.
While O’Neil was transported to Vidant Medical Center, Croom was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooter fled the scene and was not immediately identified.
The investigation into the shooting revealed that two individuals operating a white SUV drove past Rashad O’Neil and began firing shots at him from the vehicle. The suspects fled the area after the shooting. On September 21, 2021, the Kinston Police Department obtained warrants for Derrick McCarter, a 25-year-old male, and a 17-year-old juvenile, both of Kinston, for attempted murder. McCarter was apprehended shortly after on the 700 block of Thompson Street and was found to be in possession of a stolen firearm. He was placed in the Lenoir County Detention Center with a bond set at $1,050,000. The juvenile was arrested without incident and placed in the Pitt County Juvenile Detention Center.
In a separate but related incident, Donte Reynolds, a 27-year-old male from Kinston, was charged with the murder of Micro Croom and the shooting of Rashad O’Neil. Reynolds was taken into custody on September 24, 2021, with assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation . He was placed in the Lenoir County Jail without bond. The Kinston Police Department continues to investigate the case and seeks assistance from the community to gather more information about the incident.
