A ShotSpotter alert in the early hours of January 27, 2026 led officers to canvas a West Oak Street neighborhood, but nothing was found at that time. Later that morning, at about 10:26 a.m., police responded to an apartment in the same area and found 61-year-old Ronald Eugene Edwards unresponsive. Emergency medical services pronounced Edwards dead at the scene.

Investigators from the Goldsboro Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division and Crime Scene Unit report he appeared to have sustained a single gunshot wound; his death is being investigated as a homicide. Police have not released a possible motive or identified any suspects. Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information that leads to a felony arrest.

If anyone has information about Ronald Eugene Edwards, his movements that morning, or the West Oak Street area around January 27, please contact the Goldsboro Police Department or Crime Stoppers.