Shortly after 4:28 a.m. on Sunday, December 14, 2025, Fayetteville police were called to the 5000 block of Cliffdale Road for a reported shooting. Officers found a man with a critical gunshot wound to the chest; he was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center and later died. The victim was identified as Xavier Jaquan Griffin, a 34-year-old Black man from Fayetteville.

Detectives say the shooting began as an argument between unrelated parties and escalated to gunfire. A second male was also shot in the leg and drove himself to the same hospital with non-life-threatening injuries; police tied his wound to the Cliffdale Road incident. Investigators reported that all parties directly involved have been identified and described the event as isolated, but no arrest or murder charge was announced in the immediate aftermath and the homicide investigation remained active.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Fayetteville Homicide Unit or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers. If readers knew Xavier or witnessed the early morning incident, can you share what you saw?