On July 13, 2023, at approximately 4:30 p.m., officers from the Forest City Police Department responded to reports of gunfire at a residence on Harmon Street in Forest City, North Carolina. Upon arrival, they discovered 29-year-old Brandon Gerard Holland in the front yard, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A second victim, identified as Haley Elizabeth Davis, also sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was airlifted to Spartanburg Regional Hospital, where she was expected to recover.
Investigators determined that the suspected shooter, described as a Black male dressed in dark clothing, arrived on foot and fled toward Hill Street. He is believed to have left the area in a gray four-door Ford Fusion. Further investigation linked this incident to a shooting that occurred the previous day, July 12, on Chase High Road, where a home was struck by gunfire; fortunately, no injuries were reported in that event.
In December 2023, significant developments occurred in the case. On December 4, a grand jury indicted Zachariah Da’Vine Hines for first-degree murder in connection with Holland's death; Hines was subsequently incarcerated without bond. On December 12, authorities arrested Joshua Adam King Jr., from Morganton, North Carolina, charging him with accessory after the fact; he is currently held in Burke County.
These arrests followed months of investigation by the Forest City Police Department, in collaboration with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. The community had been urged to provide any information to assist in identifying the suspects involved in these violent incidents. The connection between the shootings on Harmon Street and Chase High Road was established through physical evidence, underscoring the coordinated efforts of law enforcement agencies to address gun violence in the area.
