Jerome Lynch, a 30-year-old African American man, was found dead in the backyard of his Whitakers, North Carolina, home on August 13, 2020. The Nash County Sheriff’s Office responded about 8:45 p.m. and discovered his body; Lynch’s girlfriend and two small children lived in the home and were present but did not witness the shooting.

Two men were arrested in connection with the killing. Adarius Deonte-Ray Johnson, 25, of Battleboro, was taken into custody on August 16, 2020, and Taquan Stokes, 26, of Rocky Mount, was apprehended later that week. Both were charged with first-degree murder; Johnson, also known as Kush, faced an additional charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Authorities say the shooting grew out of a long-standing feud between Lynch and Stokes.

The Nash County Sheriff’s Office continues to follow leads and interview people connected to the case as detectives work to clarify the circumstances of the fatal encounter. If anyone has information about Jerome Lynch or the events that led to his death, please share what is known.