Shell casings found at scene
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on August 23, 2006 1:52 PM
Shell casings found at the scene of a double murder Monday night on Olivia Lane could help lead investigators to the culprit or culprits, Goldsboro police said today.
The investigation into the deaths of James Lee Croom and Trasond Javoy Gerald was continuing today, said Detective Sgt. David Kelly, with investigators interviewing witnesses and possible suspects.
Croom, 24, of Bizzell Court, and Gerald, 20, of Prince Avenue, died after being shot about 8:15 p.m. Croom was driving a Dodge Stratus and Gerald was a passenger in the vehicle.
Croom died at the scene. Gerald died later in the emergency room at Wayne Memorial Hospital.
A third man, Otavis Gerquel McKinnon, 18, of Courtyard Circle, who was walking down the street at the time, was also struck by a bullet.
McKinnon was treated and released at the hospital.
Kelly said today shell casings found near the scene on the 900 block of Olivia Lane were recovered and that they had been sent to the State Bureau of Investigation for ballistics analysis. He said that it could take several days for a report to come back.
"Whether it is the actual weapon used will be determined by autopsy findings," he said.
Normally, Kelly said, the autopsy results from the state Medical Examiners Office are phoned in to investigators a day or two after they have been completed.
Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 735-2255 or the Goldsboro Police Department at 580-4217 or 580-4210.
The fatalities were the third and fourth homicides in the city this year.