Atiya Maddox, a 19-year-old woman from Goldsboro, North Carolina, tragically lost her life on July 22, 2016. She was shot around 1 p.m. near the intersection of Olivia Lane and Slaughter Street and was pronounced dead at Wayne Memorial Hospital. The incident occurred in broad daylight, shocking the community and leaving friends and family members devastated.
Maddox was remembered as a beautiful person with a smile that could brighten anyone's day.
The investigation into Atiya Maddox's death was actively pursued by the Goldsboro Police Department. It was the first of three homicides in Wayne County that Friday and early Saturday morning. The case remained open for several years, with the community and Maddox's loved ones seeking justice.
On November 13, 2020, the Goldsboro Police Department announced that they had identified and arrested a suspect in connection with Maddox's murder. Tyrone Omar Johnson, a 22-year-old from Wilson, North Carolina, was charged with second-degree murder. Johnson was already in custody on unrelated charges when he was served with the warrant for Maddox's murder. He is being held without bond, and the case continues to be investigated.
The arrest brought some measure of closure to Maddox's family and friends, who had been waiting for answers for over four years. The community continues to remember Atiya Maddox and honor her memory, hoping that justice will be served in the ongoing legal proceedings.
