04/11/18 — Man is charged in Princeton murder

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Man is charged in Princeton murder

By Melody Brown-Peyton
Published in News on April 11, 2018 5:50 AM

Marcus Anthony Currie

PRINCETON -- Princeton police arrested a Four Oaks man Tuesday and charged him with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of a South Carolina man on April 2.

Marcus Anthony Currie, 26, of 292 Buck Dunn Road, in Four Oaks, was arrested at his residence, without incident, at 11:40 a.m. by Princeton police and officers with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, N.C. Department of Correction Parole Division and the Johnston County Sheriff's Office.

Currie was arrested following an investigation into the deadly shooting of Michael Lorenzo Joyner, 34 of Columbia, South Carolina, who was found lying face down in the road with gunshots wounds to the head, hand and both legs.

Joyner was pronounced dead on the scene, along South Elm Street in Princeton, by EMS personnel.

Princeton Police Chief Tyrone Sutton said an argument took place earlier in the day, on April 2, with Joyner's brother and three other individuals. After arriving, the conflict continued and shots were fired.

Joyner, who previously served in the military, reportedly drove three hours from South Carolina to check on his brother, police said, based on details provided by Joyner's family.

The investigation resulted in police issuing warrants for Currie's arrest on Friday. Currie was booked in the Johnston County Detention Center, with no bond. Currie is scheduled make his first court appearance Wednesday.

Currie recently served three years in the N.C. Department of Correction for possession of a firearm by a felon, speeding to elude arrest, habitual misdemeanor assault and habitual felon. Currie was released on Sept. 13, 2017, and placed on post-release supervision.

The deadly shooting is Princeton's first homicide of the year. The town's last homicide took place in 2015.