Two dead, five charged after two separate Wilmington shootings this weekend
Two teenagers are dead and five are in custody following two fatal shootings in Wilmington over the weekend.
An 18-year-old man was fatally shot Friday and a 17-year-old man was fatally shot Saturday. Law enforcement do not believe the incidents were related.
Four teens have been charged in connection with a fatal shooting that took place around 3 p.m. Friday in the 1200 block of Buckingham Avenue, according to the Wilmington Police Department.
At the scene, police found 18-year-old Jailin Tilghman-Deablo suffering life-threatening injuries from a gunshot wound. Tilghman-Deablo was transported to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center and, despite life-saving measures, succumbed to his injuries.
Damon Stackhouse, 18, and Labron Damarieion Isai Pryor, 18, have been charged with murder in connection with the Friday shooting death of Tilghman-Deablo. Pryor is also charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling and possession of a stolen firearm. All three are from Wilmington.
Two 16-year-olds were also charged with murder. Their names are not being released because they are juveniles.
Stackhouse and Pryor had their first appearances in New Hanover County court Monday morning and were held without bond. District Court Judge James Faison presided. Tilghman-Deablo's family comforted one another during the proceedings.
Domanae Deablo, Tilghman-Deablo's mother, described her son as funny, outgoing and handsome. She said he was working toward earning his GED. He was shot three houses down from where his family lives, his mother said.
"I just ask that everybody just allows my son to rest in peace," she said. "I don't want anybody else getting hurt. I don't want nobody else dying. I just want to allow my son to rest."
Tilghman-Deablo is the older brother of 16-year-old Chance Deablo who pleaded guilty in April to assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and discharging a firearm on an educational property in connection with an Aug. 30, 2021, shooting at New Hanover High School. He was 15 years old at the time of the shooting.
The incident left one student with non-life-threatening injures after a fight started in the walkway with dozens of students gathered around watching before shots were fired. Chance Deablo was sentenced to serve a minimum of four years and a maximum of five years and 10 months in the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections.
"I've lost both my sons right now to a mess," Domanae Deablo said at the courthouse on Monday. "This is a mess. I can go see Chance, Jailin's never coming back."
As for the gun violence: "It needs to end," she said.
Following the appearances, Ben David, district attorney for New Hanover and Pender counties, pleaded with the community for help in ending youth violence in the Port City.
"We have seen so much youth violence in this community, and this is not the first time that I have called out some of the issues," he said following the suspects' Monday appearances. "As I've said, this is bigger than the courts can solve on their own. This really involves the courthouse -- and we're going to do our job -- but it also involves the schoolhouse and it involves the child's house."
The juveniles charged in Friday's killing are being held at the New Hanover County Juvenile Detention Center. They are expected to have their first appearances in Juvenile court Tuesday, David said.
"This is not child's play," David said. "And we are not playing around when it gets into the criminal justice system. Young people who are possessing weapons, and who discharge those weapons, are being treated like adults in the criminal justice system."
David commended the Wilmington Police Department's efficiency and work on the case.
On Friday afternoon, Wilmington police officers marked off sections of Buckingham Avenue with yellow crime tape to investigate the shooting after a hail of bullets were fired in the neighborhood.
"We are sending our condolences to the victim's family and friends," officials stated.
According to a witness at the scene, two people dressed in black got out of an older model SUV in the parking lot of the apartment complex on Harbour Drive and began firing shots at Tilghman-Deablo. Each one was shooting and about 30 shots were fired, the witness said.
Tilghman-Deablo ran toward Troy Drive to escape the shooters when he was shot, the witness said.
Residents said they were concerned about the violence, and asked for more police presence in the area.
"Reducing gun violence in our community is a top priority for the Wilmington Police Department," stated Lt. Leslie Irving, WPD public information officer, in a news release. "We will continue to work tirelessly in making our community a safe place to live and work. We will charge all perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law. If these cases qualify, we will seek federal charges."
Police officials also thanked the community for providing information to aid the department, which led to the charges.
"We will continue to seek your support in these complex cases," she added.
Saturday shooting
Meanwhile, the Wilmington Police Department is also investigating another shooting that took place around 6 p.m. Saturday in the 500 block of Anderson Street. A 17-year-old died after being shot.
Upon arrival, officers provided life-saving measures until emergency personnel could arrive. The victim was transported to Novant Medical Center by EMS, where he later died from his injuries.
After an investigation, a 17-year-old was charged for murder. As of Sunday afternoon, he was being held at the New Hanover County Juvenile Detention Center.
Brandon Shope, WPD communications specialist, reported that the cases are not believed to have a relationship to one another.
“The investigation is ongoing and we appreciate the public’s help,” he stated.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the WPD at 910-343-3609. The public can also use the anonymous Tip 411 app.