On May 7, 2018, 41-year-old Melitha Metaits Lee, a Black woman, was found dead in her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The police responded to a shooting at 2051 Saponi Village Court at 1:49 a.m. Upon arrival, they discovered Melitha Metaits Lee with a gunshot wound to her torso and her husband, 30-year-old Edwin Colon Jr., with a gunshot wound to his head. The preliminary investigation revealed that an argument between Lee and Colon Jr. escalated, leading Colon Jr.
to discharge a handgun multiple times at Lee and her two teenage daughters. Lee sustained at least one gunshot wound to her torso, while her 14-year-old daughter suffered a minor laceration to her head. Colon Jr. then turned the firearm on himself, inflicting a gunshot wound to his head. Both Lee and Colon Jr. were transported to North Carolina Baptist Medical Center, where they later succumbed to their injuries. Lee's daughter was treated and released from the medical center.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, with authorities still piecing together the events that led to the tragic deaths of Melitha Metaits Lee and Edwin Colon Jr. The police have urged anyone with information to contact the Winston-Salem Police Department or CrimeStoppers. This incident marked the eighth homicide in Winston-Salem in 2018, compared to seven homicides during the same period in 2017. The community has been left in shock and mourning, as they grapple with the loss of a beloved mother and the tragic circumstances surrounding her death.
