Patrick Deavion Shabarr Solomon, 26, was shot and killed at the Sawmill Apartments, 332 West Hay Street in Whiteville, North Carolina, on the evening of Friday, July 18, 2025. Officers responded to reports of gunfire just before 7 p.m.; Solomon was found gravely wounded and was rushed to Columbus Regional Healthcare, where he died shortly after arrival. Funeral announcements record his life as March 11, 1999 to July 18, 2025 and note he was formerly of Whiteville.

A second victim, 37-year-old Curtis Demetrius Gowans, was also wounded and transported in critical condition. Authorities described the episode as an isolated incident and nearby residents reported hearing a rapid volley of shots as evening settled over the complex. Within hours police named and arrested 41-year-old Andre Lionell Barr, charging him with first-degree murder in Solomon’s death and attempted first-degree murder in Gowans’s shooting; Barr was booked into the Columbus County Detention Center.

Any readers who knew Patrick Solomon or saw activity at the Sawmill Apartments that evening are asked to share information.