Jose Andres Gayton, a 27-year-old Hispanic man from Texas, was fatally shot on March 19, 2021, on Colonial Drive in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. A 26-year-old Roanoke Rapids woman, Riley Renee Johnson, was also shot in the same incident and taken to a trauma unit listed in stable but critical condition.

Authorities identified and apprehended a suspect named Massey who was wanted for Gayton’s murder; investigators say Massey was involved in the shooting that killed Gayton and injured Johnson. A man and a woman from Roanoke Rapids were later charged as accessories in connection with the attack, and Massey has been charged in the murder.

The community was deeply affected and the legal process was underway as authorities pursued charges. If anyone has information about what happened on Colonial Drive that morning, please share it with Roanoke Rapids law enforcement.