Andrew Lee Peele Jr., 53, was fatally shot on February 15, 2024, inside a residence on Buena Vista Drive in Wise’s Mobile Home Park, Murfreesboro, North Carolina. Hertford County Sheriff Dexter Hayes, who was first on the scene, found Peele unresponsive and without a pulse. Officials say an altercation between Peele and a 15-year-old juvenile escalated when the juvenile produced a firearm and shot Peele; the youth fled but surrendered to the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office shortly before 7 p.m. the same day. After an interview, authorities petitioned Juvenile Services to charge the individual with first-degree murder. No clear motive had been established by that evening.

Peele was born May 17, 1970, in Hertford County and worked as a self-employed laborer. He is survived by his mother, Marion Peele; two sisters, Irist Peele and Sharon Spencer; and his significant other, Lillian Lassiter. Funeral services were held March 2, 2024, at Faith Tabernacle of Deliverance Church in Murfreesboro. The community is mourning and investigators continue to examine the circumstances of the shooting.

If anyone witnessed the incident or has information about what led to the altercation, please come forward to help provide clarity and justice for the family.