On July 10, 2023, at about 7:04 a.m., Durham police found 55-year-old Johnny Lloyd Banks Jr. in the 2200 block of NC Highway 54 after a reported gunshot. Banks, a Raleigh resident born April 27, 1968, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was known in his community as Mr. Johnny and was active at Transformation Christian Church in Raleigh, serving as Minister of Baptism and mentoring new members.

On December 1, 2023, Lynchburg Police arrested 33-year-old Dominique Morgan of Lynchburg, Virginia, on charges of first-degree murder and felony conspiracy to commit murder in connection with Banks’s death. Morgan was taken into custody during a traffic stop and is being held without bond at the Blue Ridge Regional Jail. Authorities have not disclosed a motive or whether Morgan and Banks were acquainted, and the Durham Police Department continues to investigate.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator B. Paulhus at (919) 560-4440 ext. 29136 or CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200.