Alva AJ Paisley Oxendine was a 5-year-old boy from Red Springs, North Carolina, who died on June 5, 2019 after being struck by a bullet during a shootout. The gunfire erupted when two groups that had fought earlier met again on Highway 72 West; AJ was sitting in the back of his mother’s vehicle with his brother when he was hit. He was taken by personal vehicle to the Red Springs Police Department and later transported by ambulance to a hospital, where he died.

The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office and Juvenile Division opened an investigation. Seven people were arrested in connection with the fight; charges listed include felony riot, felony inciting to riot, disorderly conduct, simple affray, assault and battery, and injury to personal property. Donavan Trevale Locklear, already in custody, was later charged with second-degree murder in relation to AJ’s death.

The community and AJ’s school, Peterson Elementary, mourned his loss and called for an end to gun violence. If anyone has information about the events on Highway 72 West that day, please share what you know.