Victim wanders into city school
By John Joyce
Published in News on November 19, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Officers with the Goldsboro Police Department speak in the walkway leading to Edgerton Street in front of St. Mary Catholic School Wednesday afternoon after the victim of a shooting showed up at the school seeking help.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
The car the victims were driving sits in the parking lot of St. Mary Catholic School with bullet holes in the windshield, hood and driver's side door.
Officials at St. Mary Catholic School said they followed their emergency response plan as rehearsed Wednesday afternoon when a man who had been shot while driving in the area pulled into the school parking lot and tried to gain entry to the building.
The school went into an immediate lockdown, preventing any of the 225 students or 25 faculty members from possibly becoming injured.
The Goldsboro Police Department issued a press release later in the day, saying two men were fired at while driving away from a convenience store at Holly Street and Madison Avenue.
According to the press release, the driver of the car, Marquis Omar Johnson, 23, and a passenger, Markael Jamar McFarland, 22, both of Goldsboro, pulled into the school parking lot at 2:36 p.m., seeking help after Johnson had been shot.
Principal Lynn Magoon said neither of the men was allowed inside.
"About 2:35, we had two young men come to the door -- it was pouring rain -- knocking loudly. They wanted to come in," she said. "They were not family members of ours, and we are all really aware of security, so we did not let them in," Mrs. Magoon said.
She said the men asked her to call 911, which she did.
"Apparently they were involved in a crime somewhere away from here. And they drove here, I guess, seeking a safe place. Unfortunately, a school can't be a safe place anymore," she said.
Police, firefighters and paramedics responded and took Johnson to Wayne Memorial Hospital. Once the scene was secure, firefighters turned their attention to helping school officials deal with the large number of cars arriving as parents sought to pick their children up from school.
"I immediately sent two text alerts (to parents). The first was to tell them we were fine when they saw all the sirens and first responders, that we'd called seeking help for someone else," Mrs. Magoon said. "The second one asked them to redirect to a different parking lot for dismissal."
Meanwhile, crime scene investigators arrived on scene to examine Johnson's vehicle, which remained in the school parking lot. Bullet holes to the windshield, hood and driver's side door were visible.
Investigators said today that they have no suspects and are asking the public for help. Anyone with information regarding this or any other crime is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 919-735-2255 or text tips to 919-222-4230.