HICKORY, N.C. — Hickory Police are investigating a fatal shooting that left a 23-year-old man dead and a 19-year-old man injured Wednesday evening in the 600 block of 14th Street SW.
Officers responded to reports of gunfire in the area at approximately 6:51 p.m. Wednesday.
Dionte Jashea Murph, 23, of Hickory, was taken to a local hospital, where medical personnel pronounced him dead from an apparent gunshot wound, police said.
A second victim, 19-year-old Phalen Devon Izard Jr. of Hickory, arrived at a local hospital with a gunshot wound. Police said his injuries were non-life-threatening.
A neighbor said some rounds struck homes nearby.
She asked to not be identified after learning Murph died at the hospital.
“There was at least 15 seconds of continuous shooting,” the neighbor said. “It is scary because we don’t know what might happen in future nights.”
Murph’s family said he was killed a few blocks from where his 16-year-old brother, Damarion Sharpe, was shot and killed inside a car on Mother’s Day in 2020.
They said that case was never solved, and they are hoping someone comes forward in Murph’s death.
Channel 9’s Dave Faherty saw police on Thursday photographing shell casings in a yard about 25 yards from where Murph was found in the roadway. Investigators confirmed it is in connection with the homicide case.
A neighbor told Faherty that she hopes they get a break in the case.
“It scared me,” said neighbor Virginia Brown. “It scared the heck out of me. There’s already a lot of crime anyway. I hate they haven’t caught anybody yet.”
Faherty spoke with the police chief earlier on Thursday, and he said they do not have a motive behind the fatal shooting.
Police are searching for a suspect.
The investigation is ongoing.
No additional details have been made available.
This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com and watch Eyewitness News for updates.
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