On March 7, 2023, at approximately 7:30 a.m., 25-year-old Calvin Richard Lester Jr. was fatally shot in the parking lot of Fat Juniors Grill, located at 4900 Womack Road in Sanford, North Carolina. The establishment was closed at the time, and neither its employees nor owners were involved in the incident.
Later that day, the Lee County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Fayetteville Police Department's Violent Criminal
Apprehension Team, arrested 22-year-old Ar’mon Mandrell Jones of Fayetteville. Jones was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Lester's death and was held without bond in the Lee County Jail.
Investigations revealed that both Lester and Jones were employees at the nearby Caterpillar facility. The shooting occurred shortly after both men had completed their work shifts. As of the latest reports, the motive behind the shooting remains unclear, and the case is still under investigation.
Calvin Lester Jr., a resident of Carthage, North Carolina, was remembered by family and friends during a celebration of life held on March 22, 2023, at Pugh & Smith Funeral Home in Carthage. He is survived by his loved ones, who continue to seek justice and closure following this tragic event.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office has urged anyone with additional information regarding the incident to contact them at 919-775-5531 or through their tip line at 919-718-4577. The community remains hopeful that further details will emerge to shed light on the circumstances surrounding Lester's untimely death.
