Rodriguez Ferguson

Mass Murderer

Rodriguez Ferguson and the Hoke County New Year's Eve Murders

Overview

Rodriguez Ferguson was an 18-year-old mass murderer responsible for five killings committed during a violent series of shootings in Hoke County, North Carolina, over the New Year's holiday of 1994 and 1995. Four people were murdered and a 15-year-old girl was permanently paralyzed at the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center on December 31, 1994. Several hours later, Ferguson fatally shot a fifth person outside the Zodiac Club near Raeford during the early morning of January 1, 1995. The first attack occurred during an attempted robbery, but the second killing was unrelated to the robbery and followed a separate encounter outside the nightclub. Ferguson was arrested on January 2, 1995, and confessed during questioning. He was eventually convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill while inflicting serious injury.

Background and Events Before the Shooting

On the evening of December 31, 1994, Ferguson had been drinking before going to the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center in Hoke County. The business was a family-operated recreation center and video arcade where local residents gathered to socialize and celebrate New Year's Eve. Ferguson reportedly went to the center intending to rob 18-year-old Steve Locklear. He carried a firearm and entered the building while several members of the Hunter family and other young people were present. What began as a planned robbery quickly became a mass shooting.

The Puppy Creek Family Fun Center Massacre

During the late evening of December 31, Ferguson opened fire inside the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center. He shot Jamie Hunter, Deborah Hunter, Tim Powell, Steve Locklear and 15-year-old Mary Ann Hunter. Jamie and Deborah Hunter were the parents of Mary Ann Hunter. Both adults were killed during the attack. Mary Ann was struck by a bullet that lodged in her spine, leaving her permanently paralyzed. She survived but suffered life-changing injuries and required treatment at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Tim Powell and Steve Locklear were also fatally shot. By the time the gunfire ended, four people had been killed inside the recreation center and one teenage girl had been critically wounded. The attack devastated the Hunter family. Mary Ann survived the same shooting that killed both of her parents, leaving her to face permanent paralysis as well as the loss of her mother and father. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Deborah Hunter 37 yr old Female

On December 31