On the morning of Thursday, March 26, 2026, deputies responded to the 1200 block of Broken Arrow Court in Knightdale after neighbors reported a gunshot. Officers found 43-year-old Jessica Wells with a life-threatening gunshot wound; she was taken to a nearby hospital and died later that day.

Investigators quickly identified an acquaintance of Wells as a person of interest. On Friday, March 28, 2026, authorities arrested 72-year-old Ronald Keith Grizzel and charged him with murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. Law enforcement said Wells and Grizzel knew each other but did not disclose the nature of their relationship. Grizzel was taken to a hospital after his arrest for non-life-threatening injuries reported to be unrelated to the shooting or the arrest.

Neighbors described Wells as a devoted mother to a young son and a helpful, kind neighbor who left the community shaken. The investigation into the circumstances of the shooting is ongoing. Does anyone in Knightdale have information about Wells, her activities that night, or her connection to Ronald Grizzel?