On December 1, 2024, at approximately 8:40 a.m., Salisbury Police responded to reports of a shooting in the 1800 block of West 3rd Street near D Avenue in Salisbury, North Carolina. Upon arrival, officers discovered a vehicle that had veered off the roadway into dense trees and brush. Inside the car, they found 21-year-old Skylar Mackey and 20-year-old Shamarion Hooker, both suffering from gunshot wounds. Emergency medical personnel pronounced both individuals dead at the scene.
Initial investigations revealed that a male suspect had fled the scene immediately after the incident. Authorities were able to locate this individual, identified as a juvenile, within a few days. On December 5, 2024, at approximately 8:30 p.m., detectives from the Salisbury Police Department, in collaboration with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, arrested the juvenile suspect. He was charged with two counts of murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle and was subsequently transported to a secure juvenile detention center.
The circumstances leading up to the shooting remain under investigation. While some reports suggest that Mackey and Hooker may have been involved in a shootout, with each shooting at the other, family members of the victims have disputed these claims. For instance, Mackey's father has stated that his son was an innocent victim caught in the crossfire and had not fired a weapon.
The Salisbury Police Department has expressed condolences to the victims' families and has extended gratitude to the Rowan County Sheriff's Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and community members who provided information pertinent to the case. Authorities continue to urge anyone with additional information to come forward to assist in the ongoing investigation.
