Two people were shot at a Zaxby's restaurant on N. Main Street in Fuquay-Varina on Wednesday afternoon, and police say the investigation is still ongoing. The restaurant sits at 1341 N. Main St., along one of the town's primary commercial corridors, according to Zaxby's location listings.
The Fuquay-Varina Police Department confirmed it is investigating the shooting, which left two people wounded at the restaurant, as reported by WRAL. WRAL staff reported that the investigation remains active. The report identified Otis Lee Johnson as the suspect and said he had been charged with murder, while no additional details were released on the conditions of the two victims.
A Pattern of Recent Firearm Responses
Wednesday's shooting adds to a string of firearm-related incidents that have drawn Fuquay-Varina police into action in recent months. Earlier this month, officers arrested an 18-year-old student at Willow Spring High School after campus staff discovered a .40-caliber handgun and knives inside his vehicle, a case that resulted in felony charges for possessing a firearm on educational property, per the station's report. In July, a Fuquay-Varina officer opened fire after a suspect allegedly pointed a weapon at police along railroad tracks behind Action Park, while officers were conducting routine patrols.
That same month, police cordoned off the Gathering Square commercial plaza on NC-42 for several hours during an active investigation, routing shoppers and traffic away from local storefronts. Further back, in January 2025, Fuquay-Varina police handled a double-homicide investigation following a neighborhood shooting that left two people dead, a case police at the time characterized as deeply tragic. And in December 2022, a sixth-grade student fired a handgun inside a classroom at Fuquay-Varina Middle School before a teacher disarmed him, an incident that prompted immediate lockdowns and school safety reviews, according to the same account.
Legal Stakes if Suspects Are Identified
Should investigators identify and charge a suspect, North Carolina law lays out steep potential consequences. Under North Carolina General Statute § 14-32, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury is classified as a Class E felony, while assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury rises to a Class C felony, according to the North Carolina General Assembly. Class E felonies alone carry active prison terms of up to 88 months under state sentencing guidelines.
A Town Growing Faster Than Its Police Force
The shooting comes as Fuquay-Varina continues to swell in size, with the town's population reaching an estimated 48,536 by July 2025, a growth rate of more than 42% since the 2020 Census recorded 34,152 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The town, formed from the 1963 merger of Fuquay Springs and Varina, now sits inside one of the fastest-growing counties in the country. Wake County added more than 27,000 residents between 2024 and 2025, averaging roughly 66 new residents a day, with migration accounting for three out of every four new residents, according to Wake County Government figures.
The Fuquay-Varina Police Department remains involved in the investigation. The department's staffing level was not provided. No further details on the identities or medical conditions of Wednesday's two victims, nor whether the shooting happened inside the restaurant or in the parking lot, have been released, and WRAL says it will follow with updates as the investigation continues.
