Following a violent episode in Rocky Mount that resulted in the deaths of two young men, a fourth suspect has been apprehended by local authorities. On the weekend of last Sunday, the Rocky Mount Police Department responded to what became the scene of a double homicide at Martin Luther King Jr. Park. Ryo Steele, aged 19, alongside his friend, 20-year-old La’Ren Dickens, were discovered with fatal gunshot wounds, according to a report by CBS17. In the latest development, police have charged 19-year-old Keyvonte Keyshaw Tyson with first-degree murder.
The arrest came after an intensifying investigation by the Rocky Mount Police, who had previously taken into custody three other individuals in connection to the fatal shootings. Among the arrested are 27-year-old Bernard Smith and 22-year-old Devonte Dales of Rocky Mount, as well as 20-year-old Trevion Scarboro of Sharpsburg, all charged with first-degree murder, as reported by WRAL. Interestingly, each of suspects have been linked specifically to either Steele's or Dickens' death.
Dales was previously charged in connection with Steele's death, while Smith and Scarboro were associated with Dickens' death. The fourth suspect, Tyson, was taken into custody on Baber Court, with police asserting that he played a role in the tragic events at Martin Luther King Park, which was just one site of three separate shootings in the city that weekend – all deemed unrelated as per WRAL's findings.
The ongoing investigation prompted the hold of these individuals without bond at the Edgecombe County Jail. The precise circumstances surrounding the incident remain under scrutiny by local law enforcement. Plagued by a weekend of violence, the community of Rocky Mount grapples with the senselessness of the act and its aftermath. In a statement obtained by WITN, police affirmed, "Steele and Dickens both had gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene."
