Trevon Marquette Johns, an 18-year-old African American male, was fatally shot on July 5, 2016, in Sanford, North Carolina. The incident occurred around 1 a.m. on the 1100 block of James Street. Officers responding to a report of shots fired found Johns on the ground outside a residence. He was transported to Central Carolina Regional Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The motive for the shooting was not provided by the authorities.
Urbano Garcia-Sanchez, a 17-year-old male, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Trevon Johns. Garcia-Sanchez was also involved in a separate incident earlier that evening, where he, along with two other teens, attempted to rob and assaulted Albert Johnson Jr. at Horton Park. Johnson was treated for cuts and bruises at Central Carolina Regional Hospital. Garcia-Sanchez, along with Joel Isiah Tutt, 18, and Sean Dimitris Matthews, 17, faced charges of attempted common law robbery, conspiracy, and misdemeanor assault and battery. Garcia-Sanchez was held without bail on the murder charge, while bail was set at $100,000 each for Matthews and Garcia-Sanchez and $50,000 for Tutt.
According to Johns' father, James Harrington, the shooting occurred when a black SUV drove through the neighborhood, firing shots into the air. As the vehicle passed by again, Trevon Johns was struck in the back of the head while attempting to flee. The case remains under investigation, and the community has expressed concerns about the increasing number of shootings in the area. Rhonda Sutton, a resident of the neighborhood, mentioned that she now lives in fear due to the frequent gun violence.
