A 26-year-old man was shot and killed early Monday morning at Cruizers, a convenience store, gas station and laundromat on North Church Street in Burlington. Burlington Police say a 27-year-old woman has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with his death and is being held without bond at the Alamance County Detention Center.
Officers responded to Cruizers at 728 N. Church St. around 4:33 a.m. Monday after reports of a shooting, according to WXLV. When officers arrived, they found a 26-year-old man with a gunshot wound. Burlington Fire and EMS arrived at the scene and provided lifesaving measures, but the victim, identified as Samir Terry, was pronounced dead shortly after, police said.
Police identified the suspect as Shanice Michelle Clark, 27, who was arrested and charged with second-degree murder before being transported to the Alamance County Detention Center. She received no bond, according to police. Police said the shooting is believed to be an isolated incident between the victim and the suspect, and they reported no ongoing threat to the community.
Why the Suspect Was Denied Bond
Under North Carolina's Pretrial Integrity Act, which took effect in October 2023, magistrates are prohibited from setting pretrial release conditions for second-degree murder charges, according to Ryan Willis Law PLLC. That means bond decisions in cases like Clark's fall exclusively to a district or superior court judge rather than a magistrate. Initial bonds are typically set by a magistrate but can be modified at any time by court order, per the reported facts of the case.
If convicted, Clark would face severe statutory penalties. Second-degree murder is classified as a Class B1 felony under North Carolina law, carrying a presumptive minimum sentence of 16 years up to life imprisonment without parole, according to BP Condlin Attorney at Law. Prosecutions in Alamance County fall under Prosecutorial District 17, led by elected District Attorney Sean Boone, per the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys.
Clark is being held at the Alamance County Detention Center at 109 S. Maple St. in Graham, a facility built in 2006 with a primary capacity of 240 beds supplemented by 156 beds in its original building, according to the Alamance County Sheriff's Office. The facility is operated under Sheriff Terry S. Johnson.
A Location With a History of Police Calls
The Cruizers location on North Church Street has drawn police responses before. A Facebook post from Times-News Burlington notes the property was the site of an attempted robbery in July 2018 and a reported sexual battery in November 2016.
Monday's shooting also fits into a broader pattern of gun violence across Alamance County. Firearms were involved in 74% of homicides in the county between 2013 and 2022, with residents aged 19 to 44 experiencing the highest violent death rate, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. The county recorded 671 violent crimes in 2023, a 7% year-over-year increase to a rate of 389 per 100,000 residents, the same state data shows.
Burlington itself, the largest city in Alamance County with more than 61,000 residents, recorded four murders in 2024 and maintains an annual homicide rate of roughly 6.3 per 100,000 residents, according to figures from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. In July, Burlington Police arrested a 32-year-old woman on a felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill charge after gunshots were fired into an occupied vehicle following an argument at a local establishment, according to Alamance County Crime Stoppers; law enforcement similarly reported no ongoing threat to the community in that case.
Recent Burlington Cases Follow Similar Pattern
This is at least the third case in recent weeks in which Hoodline has reported a Burlington resident held without bond following a shooting. On Sunday, Hoodline reported that a 28-year-old woman was held without bond after a shooting tied to an argument on Peace Lane. Just over a week earlier, a 53-year-old man was held without bond after shots were fired into an occupied home on May Drive, and a separate domestic assault call that same week sparked an hours-long SWAT standoff that ended in a man's death.
Burlington Police have requested information from the public about the Cruizers investigation and can be reached at (336) 229-3500. Alamance County-Wide Crime Stoppers also accepts anonymous tips through its tip line and the P3 Tips mobile app, offering cash rewards of up to $2,500 for information leading to arrests in open felony cases.
