A year-long manhunt for a Goldsboro fugitive ended on a quiet stretch of Franklin Road near Bostic Road in Raeford on Tuesday, where authorities say they finally caught up with their suspect. Officers took the man into custody and recovered multiple firearms, some of which investigators say had been altered to fire automatically. The arrest caps an investigation that began after officers first spotted the man armed in Goldsboro on Jan. 11, 2025.
How Police Say They Finally Closed In
Goldsboro officers first encountered the suspect, later identified as 34-year-old Daktari Harris, on Jan. 11, 2025, when they saw him carrying a firearm on South Hollowell Street near East Spruce Street, according to WRAL. After a foot chase, officers recovered that handgun and federal authorities picked up the case from there.
From that point, federal partners kept digging. Investigators eventually tracked Harris to Franklin Road near Bostic Road in Raeford, where officers moved in and took him into custody without any reported injuries, WRAL reports.
ATF Paperwork Flags a Machinegun
Federal forfeiture records suggest the case involved more than a standard handgun. A filing lists a machinegun seized from Harris on Jan. 11, 2025, according to ATF. That notice appears on the federal forfeiture portal and matches the timing of the Goldsboro encounter described by local authorities.
Indictment, Firearms Cache and Federal Charges
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina secured an indictment charging Harris with seven counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and two counts alleging possession of weapons of mass destruction, according to WRAL.
Investigators say they later recovered six additional firearms tied to the case, and two of those weapons had been modified to fire fully automatic. Harris had been released on bond after the initial January 2025 arrest, WRAL notes. Authorities are still asking anyone with information to call 919-735-2255.
What Happens Next
Harris is expected to appear in federal court to face prosecution by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, which regularly handles firearms and forfeiture cases in the region, according to the office's public materials. If he is convicted on the federal counts, he faces potentially significant penalties along with possible forfeiture of the seized property as part of the government’s case.
