On December 16, 2023, at about 7:00 p.m., officers responded to a shooting near Melbourne Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Williamston, North Carolina. A vehicle with visible gunshot damage was found; inside, 21-year-old Tydrain Ty Jaquan Huff was critically injured by a gunshot and another occupant, Brantaveon Parker, had a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and had already been taken to hospital. Huff was transported to ECU Medical Health Center and died there on December 23, 2023, at 4:54 a.m.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation assisted Williamston authorities. Subsequent investigative steps identified multiple suspects and arrests were made: on January 12, 2024, 22-year-old Q’Zavieon Kemartez Blount was arrested on an open murder charge; later arrests included Ja’lyn Rogers on February 22, 2024, and Delon Manteca on February 23, 2024. A Homegoing Celebration for Huff was held; family and friends remembered his vibrant energy and infectious laughter.

Anyone with information about the shooting near Melbourne Avenue and MLK Jr. Drive is asked to contact the Williamston Police Department.