On November 7, 2024, at about 12:06 a.m., officers found 35-year-old Melvin Lofton lying unresponsive outside a Jeep SUV at the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Harvey Street in Kinston. Lofton had sustained a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say the shooting happened earlier in the 500 block of Harvey Street.

Detectives identified two suspects, 21-year-old Jeramiah Golphin of Snow Hill and 26-year-old Kobe Sheppard of Kinston. Both were arrested and charged with first-degree murder and felony conspiracy; Golphin was taken into custody on November 12 with assistance from multiple agencies, and Sheppard was arrested on November 14 by a SWAT team and state investigators. Major Brandon Turner stated Lofton likely knew the suspects, though the exact nature of that relationship has not been released. A funeral for Melvin Leon Lofton III, known as Mel, was held November 16 at Greater Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, with burial at Parrott Cemetery.

Who in the community might have information about Lofton’s movements or his connection to the suspects?