Two people have been arrested and charged with the murder of 40-year-old Jeffery Carter, who was killed outside his Gastonia home on April 19, according to the Gastonia Police Department, per a recent news release. The arrests follow a collaborative effort involving local detectives and the U.S. Marshals Task Force, resulting in the apprehension of 22-year-old Keith McClure and 21-year-old Jasmionta Mackey, both now charged with first-degree murder.
Responding to reports of gunfire at 2308 Hawkins Street in the early hours of April 19, officers found Carter with a gunshot wound, originally caught in the crossfire while standing several houses away from a party on Proctor Street where a fight had broken out and evolved into the tragic shooting; the victim was an uninvolved bystander killed in his own yard. Assistant Police Chief Nancy Brogdon remarked, "This was a tragic and senseless loss of life. Mr. Carter had no involvement in the altercation that led to this shooting. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time—standing in his own yard," according to the Gastonia Police Department's announcement.
The investigation, which is ongoing, was propelled by community support as detectives pieced together events before the shooting. Those involved had spent the evening at Legends on 420 W. Main Avenue, before the dispute carried over to the streets, ultimately claiming Carter's life. The Gastonia Police continue their appeal to the public, urging anyone with further details, especially those who were near Legends or the intersection of Proctor and Hawkins Streets that night, to come forward and contact GPD at 704-866-6702 or anonymously call Crime Stoppers of Gaston County at 704-861-8000.
