WILMINGTON — The police have arrested two young men, one of whom opened fire in public over the weekend. The arrests come as Wilmington Police Department was investigating a breaking and entering.
Officers from WPD were called to the 2100 block of Wrightsville Avenue on Sunday. According to a release, law enforcement determined shots were fired toward an apartment and occupied vehicle in the parking lot, and responsible parties fled the scene before the police arrived.
Investigators searched the area for evidence and learned an attempted breaking and entering had taken place into an apartment belonging to 19-year-old year-old Noel Bozeman. There were a large amount of drugs inside.
Bozeman was arrested Monday, Sept. 12, upon WPD and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Task Force Units conducting a traffic stop in the 2400 block of Wrightsville Avenue. Law enforcement found firearms and marijuana, and detained Bozeman on “outstanding narcotic-related offenses stemming from a search warrant conducted at his apartment just after the shooting.”
Bozeman was given a $75,000 secured bond.
On Tuesday, Sept. 13, a second suspect, 21-year-old Jordan Ja’Michael Smith, was taken into custody outside of Wilmington with the assistance of the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office ERT Team. Evidence indicated Smith arrived at the apartment complex and started shooting at the breaking-and-entering suspects as they fled the scene.
“As he was shooting at them, he then turned around and fired rounds at innocent people in the parking lot,” the WPD noted in a release.
Smith was charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill, two counts of felony conspiracy, going armed to the terror of the public, and shooting within city limits. He is currently being held at the NHCSO Detention Center under a $150,000 secured bond.
“At my direction, we are taking a strong stance on gun violence and will continue to prosecute anyone involved in these crimes to the fullest extent of the law,” said Chief Donny Williams. “Additionally, if we have the option to pursue federal charges in gun violence cases, we will.”
The investigation is ongoing as WPD continues to examine who is responsible for the breaking and entering. Anyone with information can contact WPD at 910-343-3609 or use the anonymous Tip 411 app.
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