Shortly after midnight on June 23, 2026, officers in Wilson, North Carolina, responded to a reported gunshot at a residence in the Whitfield Homes subdivision. Inside the house at 616 Spruce Street, 16-year-old Ladarrius Alfonzo D’Baby Simmons was found with a fatal gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. Family members say he did not live at that address; the home was occupied by a 19-year-old woman and her young children.

Investigators described the killing as a targeted, deliberate attack that occurred inside the house. Police arrested three people in connection with the homicide. The alleged shooter, identified in warrants as 17-year-old Jamel Hines, was charged with murder and was later transferred to the county detention center to face the charge as an adult. Two adults — 19-year-old Latoya Andrea Lucas and 41-year-old Valenta Deondra Lucas — were arrested on allegations of providing false statements and helping Hines evade capture; both later posted bond.

What information might help explain why Ladarrius was at that address that night or who else may have seen what happened?