Suspect in custody after fatal shooting outside Craven County Courthouse
A man was arrested Tuesday afternoon after two men were shot in front of the Craven County Courthouse — one of the men later died.
Dakota Wright, 19, of Vanceboro was charged Tuesday with one count of murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and one count of attempted murder in connection to the shooting, according to a news release from the New Bern Police Department.
Wright is being held without bond inside the Craven County Jail. The motive for the shooting is unknown at this time, according to NBPD.
The man who died was identified as Jordan Andre McDaniels, 23. The second person shot was Jaheem Deshawn McDaniels, 21, both of Bayboro. Both men were taken to CarolinaEast Medical Center, with Jaheem McDaniels being transported to ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville in critical condition, the release states.
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The two men are believed to be brothers, according to New Bern Police Chief Patrick Gallagher.
A press conference was held at 5 p.m. Thursday where Gallagher did not allow for questions to be asked about the incident but provided a brief statement.
"From my heart, that of our representatives of the city, this department, and the citizens of New Bern, we lend our deepest condolences to the deceased victim and the victim who is injured in the hospital," Gallagher said in the press conference.
Gallagher noted during the press conference he did not have an update on the second man's condition.
NBPD received a call around 10:50 a.m. referring to a shooting in the 300 block of Broad Street. When officers arrived, police found both McDaniels suffering from gunshot wounds.
Wright fled the scene around 11 a.m. before being taken into custody a few hours later. A news release from NBPD around 3:40 p.m. confirmed Wright was in custody, and it is believed that Wright turned himself into law enforcement.
The courthouse was placed on a brief lockdown, and people inside of the building began to exit the building around 11:30 a.m., according to witnesses at the scene.
"Based on the investigation, it appears that this shooting was not a random act of violence," a news release stated from the department. "The parties involved in this incident knew each other."
Craven County Sheriff's Office and the North Carolina Highway Patrol responded to the scene along with NBPD officers.
More information is expected to be released as investigators are currently obtaining search warrants.
Reporter Symone Graham covers local public safety for the Sun Journal. Have a story tip or idea? Send it her way at sgraham@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: One dead, one critical, one arrested after Craven County Courthouse shooting
