On the morning of September 24, 2024, at about 6:30 a.m., Lumberton Police responded to a shooting at the Royal Inn, 2333 Lackey Street, and found 26-year-old Joseph Carter with a gunshot wound. Carter was treated at the scene and taken to UNC Health Southeastern, where he died. He was born February 7, 1998, in Robeson County, the son of Weldon Carter and the late Pam Huggins, engaged to Brandy Hunt and stepfather to Jaden Hunt, and survived by a brother, Brandon Bryant, and a sister, Krendle Bryant.

Investigators remained at the motel following the incident. As of the latest available report, no suspects or arrests have been announced; police have asked anyone with information to contact the Lumberton Police Department at 910-671-3845. This is the second fatal shooting at a Lumberton hotel within two weeks, following the September 11 death of 22-year-old Knowlege McNeill.

If anyone has information about Joseph Carter’s killing or the recent hotel shootings, please contact the Lumberton Police Department.