On July 4, 2026, 19-year-old Dominic Adrian Santiago was found with a gunshot wound inside a residence on Goose Creek Road in Hubert, North Carolina. Deputies were called about an unconscious man at about 7:25 p.m.; Santiago was pronounced dead at the scene after attempts at lifesaving aid.

Investigators identified 24-year-old Isiah Jamal Howard of Midway Park as the alleged shooter. Howard, described in the report as the new boyfriend of Santiago’s ex-girlfriend, was arrested and charged with an open count of murder and was being held in the Onslow County jail after a first court appearance where bond was denied.

Family members remembered Dominic as patient, supportive, and determined, with interests in cooking, fishing, and watching UFC. The motive and the precise sequence of events that led to the fatal encounter on Independence Day remain part of the ongoing judicial process.

Did anyone in Hubert or nearby communities see or hear anything that night on Goose Creek Road?