On May 28, 2023, at about 3:15 p.m., officers responded to reports of an armed robbery and shooting at the Family Dollar at 1403 Wayne Memorial Drive in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Employees found 46-year-old Alexander Thomas, a store employee, behind the register with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was taken to UNC Health Wayne and died of his injuries.

Witnesses said two men entered, shot Thomas during the robbery, and fled on foot. A nearby search led to the arrests of 20-year-old Yiheim Quishown Fryar and 24-year-old Aaron Taiwan Coppedge; both were charged with armed robbery and an open count of murder and held without bond. Thomas was a U.S. Air Force veteran of 12 years and later worked as a Family Dollar manager; he is survived by his son and his father, a reverend. The shooting has prompted local concern about retail worker safety.

If anyone saw activity near the store that afternoon or has information about the robbery, please share what is known with investigators.