On October 5, 2024, 37-year-old Harry Lane Hardie Jr. was fatally shot in Clarkton, North Carolina. The attack also left another person injured. Local authorities are investigating; no arrests or publicly identified suspects have been announced.

Hardie had a prior federal conviction: in 2016 he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and received a five-year sentence. That case was part of a larger crackdown on the Piru Mob, described as a subset of the United Blood Nation that operated in Columbus and Bladen Counties and distributed heroin, cocaine, and prescription opioids in the Clarkton area. The gang’s activities were reported to include shootings and retaliatory attacks against rival members. Hardie returned to Clarkton after serving his sentence.

It is not known whether his past affiliations are connected to the October 5 shooting, and authorities have not disclosed a motive. Can anyone with information about Hardie, his movements in Clarkton, or the October 5 incident contact investigators?