Raekwon Shonte Rodgers, a 24-year-old African American male, tragically lost his life on September 19, 2021, in Wilson, North Carolina. The incident occurred late Sunday night when Rodgers, along with Kiara Janay Faison, a 26-year-old woman, and a 3-year-old child, were shot while sitting in a car outside a Family Dollar store on Hines Street. The victims were transported to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, where Rodgers succumbed to his injuries.
Faison was treated and released, while the child suffered a graze wound and was treated at Wilson Medical Center.
The investigation revealed that the shooting took place in the 700 block of Lane Street. Christopher Dale Pender Jr., a 28-year-old male from Wilson, was identified as the gunman. Pender was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of discharging a weapon into an occupied vehicle, and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. He was held without bond in the Wilson County jail.
The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, and no further details have been released regarding the evidence connecting Pender to the crime. The case continues to be under investigation, with authorities urging anyone with information to come forward.
