A bullet fired during a chaotic shootout at a Garner apartment complex tore through a car window and lodged in the living room wall of an occupied third-floor unit, and now eight people, including a 16-year-old, are facing charges tied to the gunfire. No one was physically hurt, but the August 11 shooting at Timber Creek Apartments has exposed a sprawling, multi-jurisdictional feud that stretched from a prior shooting in Raleigh to a fight at a nearby Bojangles and stolen ammunition in Cary.
According to WRAL, Garner Police began receiving multiple calls about gunfire around 8:15 p.m. that Tuesday at the complex on Evolve Drive, off Benson Road. One caller reported that a bullet had gone through his apartment wall. When officers arrived, they found shell casings from both a pistol and a rifle, three vehicles struck by gunfire, and a car window shattered by the same shootout that sent a round into the third-floor unit, a detail also confirmed by WTVD.
Investigators determined the shooting appeared to be a shootout between two groups with a prior beef, according to police. Arrest records and search warrants indicated the conflict stemmed from a separate, earlier shooting in Raleigh that had involved family members of both parties, per the station's report. Two search warrants and arrest records tied to the case were returned on September 2, laying out how the dispute escalated in the days before the shootout.
Two Rival Groups, Two Sets Of Charges
Police detained multiple people at the scene, including Marcell Burt, Jamal Washington, Shakem Wilson, Duwan Stewart and a 16-year-old, all found inside an apartment along with a fourth adult, per the same account. A man who later exited the apartment was also detained. Camera footage reviewed by investigators showed a juvenile exiting the apartment building and firing a handgun toward a red sedan, while separate footage showed a person who appeared to be holding a gun entering the same apartment.
The 16-year-old later returned to the apartment building, and Wilson was seen running back toward the building without appearing to be holding a gun, the outlet reported. Inside the apartment, police recovered two handguns along with multiple sealed bags that appeared to contain marijuana.
The Nissan And The Rival Faction
Witnesses told police they saw a white truck and a red Nissan sedan drive away from the scene, and investigators later found shell casings in the area where the Nissan had traveled. Video reviewed by detectives showed apparent muzzle flashes coming from the Nissan's window. A search warrant stated that the round which struck the bystander's apartment appeared to have been fired from the Nissan's direction, though the warrant also indicated an unknown rifle shooter appeared to be the one who fired into that occupied unit — a detail investigators have not fully reconciled.
Three people connected to the Nissan — Zymear Purcell, Meziah Jones and Marcus Pompy — were reportedly involved in stealing ammunition in Cary and in a fight involving the juvenile suspect at a Bojangles near Timber Creek Apartments, according to the report. All three now face felony conspiracy charges.
Assault Counts And A Stolen Firearm
The most serious charges fell on Dareice Whitaker, who faces five counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, along with possession of a handgun by a minor, possession of a stolen firearm, possession with intent to sell or distribute marijuana, injury to personal property and a city or town violation. Under North Carolina General Statute § 14-32, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill without serious injury is classified as a Class E felony, carrying a statutory prison sentence of 15 to 88 months, according to the Manning Law Firm.
Four adults — Burt, Washington, Wilson and Stewart — face charges of possession with intent to sell or distribute marijuana and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Under North Carolina General Statute § 14-316.1, contributing to the delinquency of a minor is a Class 1 misdemeanor carrying up to 120 days in jail, per Gilles Law. Separately, North Carolina General Statute § 14-269.7 makes handgun possession by anyone under 18 a Class 1 misdemeanor, while transferring a handgun to a minor under § 14-315 is a Class H felony, according to the Giffords Law Center.
What Happens To The 16-Year-Old Suspect
The involvement of a juvenile in a shooting that produced felony-level charges raises the question of whether the teen will be tried as an adult. Under North Carolina's “Raise the Age” framework codified at N.C.G.S. § 7B-2200, 16-year-olds accused of Class A through E felonies are subject to mandatory or prosecutorial transfer hearings that move cases from juvenile court into Superior Court, according to the UNC School of Government. Whether prosecutors will pursue that transfer for the teen detained at Timber Creek Apartments remains an open question.
Felony charges against the adult co-defendants will move through the Wake County District Attorney's Office at the Wake County Justice Center in downtown Raleigh, where grand juries review cases before indictment, per the Frickey Law Firm. It's also still unclear whether additional charges will follow related to the stolen ammunition in Cary or the initial Raleigh shooting that touched off the retaliatory conflict.
Part Of A Wider Pattern In Garner
Treeline Timber Creek Apartments sits at 400 Evolve Drive off Benson Road, a multi-building community managed by Evolve Companies just off N.C. Highway 50, according to property listings. Garner itself sits about seven miles south of downtown Raleigh along major corridors including Highway 50 and U.S. Route 70, part of the fast-growing Raleigh metro area.
The shootout adds to a string of violent incidents that have rattled the town this year. In May, a woman was stabbed in the neck at a bus stop outside the Fayetteville Road Walmart, an incident Hoodline previously reported. Just days before the Timber Creek shooting, Hoodline also covered a man shot in southeast Raleigh that closed off a nearby Garner Road intersection, underscoring how gunfire in the area has repeatedly crossed jurisdictional lines. Garner Police also rely on Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras installed along town roadways, technology that can help investigators track vehicles like the white truck and red Nissan seen fleeing the scene.
