Thomas Jeffries Jr., a 34-year-old Black/African American male from Graham, North Carolina, was shot inside a home on the 400 block of Poplar Street late on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, and later died at the hospital. Officers were dispatched just before 11 p.m., finding Thomas Jeffries Jr. with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was rushed for treatment, but the single wound proved fatal soon after.
Neighbors and relatives told reporters the violence followed a family dispute that had flared that evening inside the residence both men shared.
Investigators quickly focused on a domestic angle, and within hours identified and arrested the victim’s stepfather, 59-year-old James Thomas Daye. Police charged him with murder and with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was booked into the Alamance County Jail and held without bond following an initial court appearance the next day, as detectives emphasized that the incident appeared isolated to the household. Records reflect the location and date of the shooting, and confirm that only one person was struck and killed.
As the investigation moved from the frantic response of that night into the methodical pace of court proceedings, officials set early hearings for the accused while maintaining that the case stemmed from a private conflict that suddenly turned irretrievably public. Later reporting noted that bond was denied and that the accused was scheduled to return to court in September as the homicide case continued. Community memorial pages captured the abrupt loss of a 34-year-old whose death left family and friends grieving, even as authorities pressed forward with the criminal case against the lone suspect.
Public listings identify the victim as Thomas Jeffries Jr., 34, male, with the incident marked on August 20, 2025 in Graham, North Carolina; community-sourced records also specify his race as Black/African American, consistent with the victim information at the time of publication.
