Sanford man released from Lee jail charged in Cameron shooting

Caleb M. Soptelean, The Sanford Herald, N.C.
·2 min read

Jul. 25—A Sanford man who allegedly shot up a Sanford home was released on bond and then allegedly shot up a home in Cameron before being arrested over two weeks later after a high-speed chase.

Amari Rayvon Matos, 21, was 18 at the time of the alleged shooting of a Sanford residence at 4412 Lenity Circle on Jan. 21, 2022. Dyshond Murphy was in the home at the time, according to the indictment.

Matos was arrested Feb. 18, 2022, according to eCourts, but then apparently released on bond sometime later. A $7,500 bond was set that day.

On May 22, 2023, Matos and three others allegedly fired a total of 115 shots into a home on Line Road in Cameron, according to the Daily Record of Dunn. Authorities believe the shooting was gang-related.

Apparently no one was injured in either shooting.

Matos wasn't arrested until June 8, 2023, in relation to the May 22 shooting, the Daily Record reports. He was held in Alexander County until he was transferred to Harnett County.

Matos was the driver and sole occupant of a gold 2007 BMW 328 that crashed after a high-speed chase and ended up on its hood near Lippard Farm Road in Iredell County, according to the Harnett County newspaper. The vehicle was reported stolen to Greensboro Police.

He faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder in Harnett County in relation to the Cameron incident, along with a count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. The alleged victims in that shooting were Melissa McDonald, Donajah Johnson and Rasaahn Cox, court records state.

Matos is currently being held on a $1 million bond in the Harnett County Jail.

He has an administrative hearing in Lee County on Jan. 27, 2025. A trial that was scheduled for May 13 in Lee County Superior Court was postponed.

He has a disposition hearing in Harnett County set for Aug. 26. That hearing has been continued 11 times.