Zachary Meares, a 17-year-old male from Saint Pauls, North Carolina, tragically lost his life on November 28, 2017. The incident occurred in the St. Pauls area of Robeson County, where Meares was shot on West Broad Street between a Burger King and a BP gas station. Meares was a student at Lumberton Senior High School at the time of his death.
The investigation revealed that the shooting was the result of a high-speed chase from Lumberton to the shooting site at 902 W. Broad St. in St. Pauls. Meares was attempting to retrieve a cell phone that belonged to his sister, which was in the possession of one of the three youths in a truck. The youth in possession of the phone was not Jason Bass, the individual later charged in connection with the shooting. Meares got out of the car he was a passenger in and appeared to argue with the people in the pickup truck. He then tried to force his way into the truck but was unable to do so. Meares climbed into the truck's bed and attempted to enter the cab through the back window, at which point he was shot three times in the face.
Jason O'Neil Bass, 17 at the time of the incident, was arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter. Bass was later sentenced to 48 to 70 months in prison for the 2017 death of Zachary Meares. The motive for the shooting was never released by the police. Meares' friends and family expressed their disappointment with the sentencing, believing that Bass should have received a harsher punishment. They argued that justice had not been fully served and that the punishment did not fit the crime.
The case involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and the Robeson County District Attorney's Office. The investigation and subsequent trial brought to light the tragic circumstances surrounding Meares' death and the impact it had on his family and friends. Despite the sentencing, Meares' family continued to seek justice and closure for the loss of their loved one.
