Joshua Lee Wolverton, a 20-year-old male from Ahoskie, NC, tragically lost his life on May 16, 2021. The incident occurred at approximately 4:04 pm when officers responded to a report of shots fired at 201 Pine Ridge Road in Ahoskie. Upon arrival, they found Wolverton lying unresponsive on the ground near the driveway, with a Winchester .22 caliber rifle across his right arm.
Nearby, officers discovered three spent .357 shell casings and a silver Hyundai Sonata with its engine running, which was later identified as Wolverton's vehicle. The rifle was loaded with one round in the chamber and sixteen rounds in the magazine.
The investigation, conducted by the Ahoskie Police Department and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, revealed that Anthony Bryan Sutton, Jr., a 22-year-old male from Ahoskie, acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Wolverton. The two young men had a history of exchanging threats over text and Instagram messages, primarily involving a young female with whom both had a past or present relationship. On the day of the incident, Wolverton reportedly called Sutton Jr. 15 times in the hour leading up to the shooting. When Wolverton arrived at Sutton Jr.'s residence, he exited his vehicle with the rifle and approached Sutton Jr., who then shot Wolverton several times with a handgun.
The findings of the investigation led to the decision not to press charges against Sutton Jr., as it was determined that he acted in self-defense. This decision was made by Seth Edwards, the elected District Attorney for Beaufort, Hyde, Martin, Tyrrell, and Washington counties, following allegations of a conflict of interest by the Wolverton family. Valerie Asbell, the District Attorney for Bertie, Halifax, Hertford, and Northampton counties, is married to Ahoskie Police Chief James Asbell, which prompted the Wolverton family to request another District Attorney handle the case.
The Wolverton family expressed dismay over the ruling, maintaining that Joshua's intention was not to attack Sutton Jr. with the rifle but rather to engage in a fistfight. They argued that Wolverton, an experienced hunter, would not have approached Sutton Jr. with a small caliber rifle if he had intended to threaten him. The family also pointed out that no identifiable fingerprints were found on the rifle, raising further questions about the circumstances surrounding Joshua's death.
