On March 15, 2023, about 10 p.m., 19-year-old Zion Sincere Wilder was fatally shot in a drive-by attack at a residence on Goldsboro Avenue in Statesville, North Carolina. A 15-year-old cousin was critically injured and taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Three adults and three juveniles, ages 14, 16, and 17, were inside the home when assailants surrounded the house and opened fire, with shots striking the residence and a vehicle on the property.

Family members described the shooting as an ambush and said the aunt who was in the kitchen believed the attack was personal. The home sustained multiple bullet holes. In the days after the shooting, three suspects were arrested: 25-year-old Dakota Michael Duke on March 17 in Troutman; 24-year-old Tevin D. Seymore on March 18 in Charleston, West Virginia; and 22-year-old Javis Black on March 28 in Beckley, West Virginia. All three face charges including murder, attempted murder, shooting into an occupied dwelling, felony conspiracy, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Wilder was a senior at Statesville High School scheduled to graduate in May. Schools moved to remote learning for safety, and community leaders urged action to curb gun violence and support local youth. If anyone has information about the March 15 attack or knew Zion, please come forward.