Jamie Hunter, a 39-year-old White male from Hoke County, North Carolina, was tragically killed on December 31, 1994, in a violent shooting that shook the local community. The incident occurred at the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center, a video arcade that Hunter had recently opened with his wife, Deborah Hunter, age 37. The couple had launched the business just two weeks prior, hoping to create a safe and enjoyable space for neighborhood children and teenagers. On the night of the attack, the arcade was open when gunfire erupted, resulting in the deaths of Jamie Hunter, his wife Deborah, and two patrons—Steve Locklear, age 18, and Tim Powell, age 20.
The couple’s daughter, Mary Ann Hunter, age 15, was also present during the shooting. She suffered a devastating injury when a bullet lodged in her spine, leaving her paralyzed from the neck down. Following the attack, she was hospitalized at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, where she remained under guard due to fears that the assailant might return. The shooting sent shockwaves through both the local community and extended family members, some of whom lived out of state and expressed deep grief over the loss.
Law enforcement swiftly identified and apprehended a suspect in connection with the killings. Rodriguez Ferguson, an 18-year-old male from Raeford, North Carolina, was arrested and charged with five counts of murder and one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and inflict serious injury. Ferguson was accused not only of killing Jamie Hunter, a 39-year-old White male, and the other victims at the arcade, but also of shooting another man later that night at a dance club in Raeford. He was held without bond following his arrest.
Jamie Hunter had endured significant health challenges prior to his death, including five heart attacks, which led him to leave his welding job and pursue the arcade venture. Born in Germany and raised primarily in the southern United States, Hunter had deep family ties in both North Carolina and Pennsylvania. His death, along with the loss of his wife and the injuries to his daughter, marked a tragic end to what was meant to be a hopeful new chapter for the family.
