In the early hours of June 30, 2024, deputies from the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting on Branchwood Lane near Tarboro and found two people dead of gunshot wounds: 29-year-old Odis Ray Draughn III and 28-year-old Tellton Jaymel Jones. A third person was injured and taken to ECU Health for treatment.

On July 1, 2024, detectives arrested 34-year-old Arrington Rontrell Everette of Princeville and charged him with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths; he was taken into custody without incident and held without bond. Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive or detailed the relationship between Everette and the victims, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Odis Draughn was born May 31, 1995, in Tarboro, graduated from Tarboro High School in 2013 where he played football as number 34, attended Pitt Community College, and worked for Lambert’s Cable Splicing in Rocky Mount. He is survived by his children, parents, siblings and extended family; a celebration of his life was held July 13, 2024, at Leggett Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Tarboro.

Did anyone in the Tarboro area have contact with Odis or information about the events on Branchwood Lane that morning?