01/14/16 — Murder investigation continues

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Murder investigation continues

By John Joyce
Published in News on January 14, 2016 1:46 PM

The investigation continues into the county's first homicide of 2016, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.

The surviving victim in the double shooting incident that took place Jan. 9 in a Dudley home that claimed the life of another man is expected to recover.

"We feel like he is going to survive," Maj. Tom Effler said.

Carlos Cesar Vasquez Luna, 47, died from an apparent gunshot wound after he was shot inside his home at 159 Sleepy Creek Road.

Alfred Garcias, 25, of the same address, was critically injured in the shooting and was transferred to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, where he remains under observation.

"Last we heard from the hospital, he is still in intensive care in critical condition," Effler said.

On the night of the shooting, responding deputies said that a woman called 911 and stated, "they killed" two men and to come on and the line went dead.

A translator was called in due to the language barrier, and detectives went house to house asking the neighbors what they might have seen.

Investigators canvassed the neighborhood and recovered what evidence there was at the crime scene.

So far, no suspect information has been released and no motive has been determined.

Effler said the sheriff's office was continuing to work the case vigorously and he felt confident an arrest or arrests would be made eventually.

"We are working some pretty strong leads right now," he said.

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. Callers can remain anonymous and tips leading to a felony arrest are eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.