JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. — The Johnston County Sheriff's Office said one person died when someone opened fire during a memorial balloon release Thursday night.
The shooting happened during a balloon release in honor of Xavier Smith, who was killed in a crash earlier this week in southern Wake County near Fuquay-Varina.
Deputies responded to a shooting at around 8 p.m. at a home on Josephine Road in Johnston County. The family told WRAL News the shooting took place on the front lawn and then several men jumped into a car and drove away.
Soon after responding to that call, deputies received a second call that stated there were gunshot victims in the parking lot of a Sheetz on N.C. Highway 42 and Cornwallis Road, three miles away from the home. Investigators later determined that the two calls were related, according to officials.
Harley Alexander Shirley, 21, from Clayton, was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. He is the son of Ronnie Shirley, one of the the owners of "Lizard Lick Towing" near Wendell.
Read more from our news partners with WRAL.
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