Two sought in murder
By John Joyce
Published in News on July 14, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/JOHN JOYCE
Patrol deputies and the Wayne County Sheriff's Office Aggressive Crime Enforcement Team were among the first to respond to the scene of Sunday's fatal home invasion at 102 Sal Court.
A Goldsboro man is dead after a home invasion in Wayne County early Sunday morning.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office is actively investigating the case as a homicide.
Derrick Matthews, 33, was at home at 102 Sal Court in the Hood Swamp Manor trailer park Saturday, according to the Sheriff's Office.
"There were two adult males inside the house. Also, a small child was inside the residence," Sheriff Larry Pierce said.
At 1 a.m., two men described as having dark complexions and their faces covered forced their way in through the front door and shot and killed Matthews.
"Deputies arrived on scene and found (Matthews) shot, he was already deceased. The child and the other adult were not harmed," Pierce said.
Pierce said the victim's wife, who had gone to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for the weekend, had already been notified and was at the Sheriff's Annex being interviewed.
Matthews' younger brother, who asked that his name be withheld for fear of retribution, was the other adult male inside the home. He said he woke up and saw one of the men standing outside his brother's door.
"Soon as I opened my eyes, dude had a gun in my face. Other dude was at my brother's door. He shot him and ran. They shot him and ran," he said.
The younger Matthews believes his brother was targeted.
"For them to leave me and not do nothing to me, I think it was personal," he said.
Nothing was taken from inside the home.
The victim's brother said he has been advised by the Sheriff's Office not to stay in Goldsboro since the killers have seen his face.
It was unclear how many shots were fired inside the residence. Investigators are releasing few details this early in the investigation.
"I got the call about 1:30 a.m." Capt. Richard Lewis said.
He confirmed the break-in took place at 1 a.m. and the 911 call came five minutes later.
"Patrol was on scene within a few minutes," he said.
Investigators were still on the scene at sunrise and continued to work past 8 a.m. Detectives and crime scene investigators went in and out of the house with brown paper bags and plastic evidence bags.
The victim's mother arrived on the scene in the early hours of the morning.
Obviously in shock, she said Matthews had just marked a milestone.
"He was 33. June 28 was his birthday," she said.