Sarah Hankerson, a 72-year-old African American woman, died on May 8, 2022, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, after being struck by a gunshot in her family home on Meadowbrook Road. Police responded to a shooting call and found Hankerson in a medical emergency; she was pronounced dead at the scene after first responders tried lifesaving measures.

Edwards grabbed a firearm during the struggle, and a round was discharged that struck Hankerson. The Rocky Mount Police Department describes the shooting as unintentional and does not expect to file charges. The dog has been placed in quarantine with the department’s Animal Services Unit.

Hankerson was an active member of Saint John’s 3:16 Missionary Baptist Church and is remembered by family and neighbors as loving and giving. Does anyone with knowledge of the Meadowbrook Road household or that community remember anything relevant to what happened that day?