Man killed, 15-year-old injured in Goldsboro Ave. shooting in Statesville

STATESVILLE, N.C. (WBTV) – A Statesville shooting claimed the life of a 19-year-old and left a 15-year-old injured, police said.

According to the Statesville Police Department, officers were called for shots fired at a home on Goldsboro Avenue at 10 p.m. Wednesday.

When police arrived, they said the two victims were found inside the residence. The 19-year-old man, identified as Zion Wilder, was pronounced dead at the scene while the 15-year-old boy was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in critical condition.

“We want you to pray because it has affected all of us and we are hurting and we need each other to get through the process,” said Doris Allison.

Allison represents this neighborhood on Statesville’s City Council, but she is a family member of the 15-year-old who is fighting for his life in the hospital.

“It was heartbreaking,” Allison added. “Heartbreaking because we are losing our children and families are suffering, even to our own family, we have a stake in this because of loved one connected with us, and it’s just heartbreaking.”

Allison and councilman Frederick Foster spoke with me today about this crime and how it hurts the progress they had been making.

“We’re working hard but it seems like when we start to make progress, we end up stepping back. We’re trying to make improvements in the community, we even put up cameras to help deter the crime, and yet we still have this issue,” Foster said. “It’s going to take more than council. It’s going to take more than law enforcement. It’s going to take everyone to work together to solve this issue.”

Administrators at Northview Academy said the school would be closed for the day Thursday due to the overnight shooting.

“This closure is out of safety precautions for our students and staff,” a post on the school’s Facebook page stated.

The investigation is ongoing and no other information is available at this time.

Police said preliminary evidence has revealed that unknown suspects fired multiple shots into the front of the house, striking both victims.

In addition to the victims, three others, aged 14, 16 and 17 years old, were also inside the house.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to call the Statesville Police Department at (704) 878-3406 or (704) 878-3516.

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