On March 4, 2024, at approximately 3:00 pm, members of the Kinston Police Department responded to a report of a shooting that had taken place near the 900 block of E. King St. Kinston, N.C. Officers made contact with seven young adults and juveniles, who advised that they were walking in the area, and they were approached by a group of males that initiated an altercation. As the altercation continued, Jahquan Courtney, 24, of Kinston, produced a firearm and fired a shot into the air. Courtney passed the firearm to Jamarion Vaughn, 19, of Kinston, who fired a shot at the group of victims before fleeing the area. 

At the time of the report, the information for the suspects was limited, and the case had been investigated over the past month. During the investigation, detectives with the Kinston Police Department were able to identify and obtain warrants on both perpetrators in this case. 

Vaughn was charged with 4 counts of Attempted Murder; he surrendered to Law Enforcement and was placed in the Lenoir County Jail under a secured bond. Courtney was arrested and charged with Discharging a Firearm in the City and Going armed to the Terror of the Public; he was also placed in the Lenoir County Jail under a secured bond. 

The Kinston Police Department makes it a priority to investigate all crimes perpetrated in our city. We will investigate such cases without compromise for crime and continue to seek assistance from the community we proudly serve.  If anyone has information about this incident, please call the Kinston Police Department’s Tips Line at 252-939-4020, Lenoir County Crime Stoppers at 252-523-4444, or through the Tip411 App that is available on both Apple and Android devices.  Calls to Crime Stoppers are confidential and anonymous, and the caller may be eligible for a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest.