Sammy Lemarcus Evans, a 42-year-old African American male, was tragically shot and killed on the night of November 21, 2017, in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The incident occurred at approximately 8:42 p.m. inside a residence located at 109 N. Herman Street. The Goldsboro Police Department's automatic gunshot detection system, ShotSpotter, alerted authorities to the shooting. Upon arrival, officers found Evans on the floor near the back door of the house, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into Evans' death led to the arrest of two suspects. Aijalon Derice Dove, a 26-year-old African American male from Goldsboro, was arrested on November 22, 2017, and charged with an open count of murder, eight counts of firing into an occupied dwelling, and possession of a firearm by a felon. Dove was apprehended at the Econo Lodge on Corporate Drive. The following day, police arrested Octavius Thompson, a 23-year-old African American male from Elm City, on December 5, 2017. Thompson was charged with an open count of murder in connection with Evans' death. He was taken into custody on East Walnut Street.
The Goldsboro Police Department's VICE Unit, Gang Unit, Crime Scene Unit, and Selective Enforcement Unit, along with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation , were involved in the investigation. The use of the city's panoramic Tsunami cameras, one of which was installed on a light pole near the crime scene, played a crucial role in identifying the suspects. Both Dove and Thompson were held without bond in the Wayne County Detention Center. The city of Goldsboro experienced a total of ten homicide cases in 2017, compared to eleven in 2016.
