State investigators charged six people in connection to a Halloween party shooting near Maxton that left two people dead and 11 injured, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
The charges, brought by the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Division, are related to hosting and operating the October 25 party. They include selling alcoholic beverages and hiring armed private security without a permit, providing alcohol to underage individuals, felony possession of marijuana, and child abuse.
No one has been charged with the shootings, Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said during a news conference.
Wilkins said investigators determined that at least 14 guns were used in what he called a “shootout” at the party attended by hundreds of people.
“It has been determined that illegal alcohol sales ultimately contributed to the shootings,” Bryan House, North Carolina’s director of Alcohol Law Enforcement, said during the press conference. “Special agents take an all-crimes-approach when alcohol is involved, and they remain committed to supporting local partners in these complex investigations.”
Deputies were on the way to the party at 298 Dixon Drive at about 1:15 a.m. on October 25 in response to complaints about loud music when several people called 911 and said individuals had been shot, according to the sheriff’s office.
Many people were leaving when deputies arrived and found two people shot dead: Jessie Locklear Jr., 49, and Nehemiah Locklear, 16, both of Lumberton.
Eleven others with gunshot wounds went to Scotland Health Care in Laurinburg and UNC Health Southeastern Medical Center in Lumberton. They have all been released from the hospitals, Wilkins said.
Those charged are:
- Michael Keith Locklear, 41, of Lumberton
- Casey Locklear, 40, of Lumberton
- Haven Hardin, 18, of Lumberton
- Paul Chavis, 33, of Maxton
- Jason Brown, 49, of Laurinburg
- Robert Earl Jacobs, 34, of Pembroke
Wilkins called the charges “necessary and appropriate,” but emphasized that law enforcement’s focus is still on identifying those responsible for the shootings. Only a few dozen people who attended the party have met with investigators, he said.
“Families are grieving and seeking justice, yet individuals with firsthand knowledge continue to withhold the truth,” he said. “Do the right thing. I’m asking you to imagine that these were your loved ones and no one was coming forward. Stop placing the blame on law enforcement, and start being the difference that this county needs to bring closure to so many families.”
The sheriff’s office continues to investigate the case with Alcohol Law Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Wilkins urged anyone with information or video evidence related to the shootings to call 910-671-3100.