Chief Smith and members of the Salisbury Police Department stood before cameras Thursday afternoon to revisit three homicide cases that have gone unsolved for years, as North Carolina moved to put up cash rewards in hopes of shaking loose new leads. The announcement highlighted how long some of these wounds have stayed open in the Rowan County community.
A Decade-Old Case Involving a Sleeping Child
Among the cases discussed was the 2016 killing of 7-year-old A’yanna Allen, who was shot and killed on Dec. 4 of that year while she slept beside her grandmother inside a Salisbury home, according to WSOC-TV. Her grandmother, Shirley Robinson, was also shot in the attack but survived, the station reported. North Carolina is now offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Allen’s murder, with the governor issuing the reward directly.
The state is also offering a reward for information leading to a conviction in the 2024 killing of 14-year-old BJ Grier, per the same report. Grier was shot on Sept. 27, 2024, while walking to a park in Salisbury and later died from his injuries, the outlet noted. Both cases remain unsolved.
Where to Send Tips
The Salisbury Police Department had scheduled Thursday's 2 p.m. conference specifically to discuss the three unsolved homicide investigations and the governor's issuance of rewards, according to the city's own announcement. Anyone with information about the cases is asked to call the Salisbury Police Department, the station reported, and people with information about the shootings can also reach Detective Lt. Casper at 704-638-5333 or by email at [email protected]. Those who wish to remain anonymous can submit tips through Rowan County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.
Watch the Salisbury Police Department's press conference on Facebook
A Separate, More Recent Double Homicide
The department has also been investigating a separate case in Salisbury involving two young victims, Shamarion Hooker, 20, and Skylar Mackey, 21, WSOC-TV previously reported. Investigators believed the two victims shot at each other, with one in the street and the other in a vehicle that then crashed into a power pole. Officials said at the time that the investigation was ongoing and that updates would follow as they became available.
It was not immediately clear from Thursday's announcement whether the Hooker-Mackey case was among the three cases discussed at the press conference. What is clear is that Salisbury families are still waiting years later for answers in cases involving some of the city's youngest victims, and state officials are betting that a five-figure reward might be what finally brings a break in the investigations.
