SALISBURY, N.C. — A 3-year-old girl shot in Salisbury earlier this month died from her injuries on Monday, police said. Now, law enforcement is urgently building a case and is asking for help identifying suspects.
The shooting happened around 5:30 a.m. on Aug. 10 at a home on Rowan Mill Road off South Main Street. Police confirmed a man, 80-year-old Charles William, was shot and killed while sitting in his recliner inside the home.
“It’s nothing short of tragic that an 80-year-old man has been senselessly murdered in such a brutal fashion,” said Salisbury Police Department Chief Patrick Smith.
In a news conference Wednesday, Chief Smith said William’s great-granddaughter, 3-year-old Myisha Angel, died after she was also shot that day. The chief said she was sleeping in the top bunk of her bunk bed when she was shot. She fought for her life for more than a week until she died in the hospital Monday afternoon.
“This child never got to experience the joys and milestones that we often take for granted,” Smith said. “Her first day of school, making friends, growing up by surrounded by love and opportunity. Her future was stolen, and that’s something that should fill everyone with outrage and sorrow.”
The case has now been upgraded to a double homicide investigation, Chief Smith said. Neither the little girl nor her great-grandfather were the intended targets of the shooting, Smith said.
“In my two decades of service in law enforcement, I’ve witnessed a lot of tragic events, but what occurred in our community on August the 10th was one of the most egregious acts of violence that I’ve ever encountered,” he said.
He said investigators found more than 30 shots had been fired into the home and said other children were inside.
Chief Smith also spoke about a person of interest in the case who was apprehended after a police chase from Salisbury to Charlotte. Smith said the man, 25-year-old Kevin Antonio Smith, was one of the intended targets in the Salisbury shooting.
While he couldn’t confirm Kevin Smith lived at the home on Rowan Mill Road, the chief said he was known to be there.
Chief Smith couldn’t say whether the shooting was a result of specific gang activity but said the acts coincide with what gang activity would look like.
“Let me be crystal clear. We’re not going to rest, and we’re committed to find those that are responsible for this heinous act,” he said.
The shooting wasn’t a random act as the suspects had intended targets, Smith said. Detectives are looking for more than one suspect in the case but they can’t say how many at this point.
Police shared photos of a possible suspect’s car that they’re looking for. It appears to be a four-door white sedan.
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“We’re grieving alongside the family that has lost their loved ones, and we are resolute in our commitment to bring justice to those responsible,” the chief said.
Chief Smith also said the same house had been shot into two days prior but no one was hurt in that case.
Police hope to make arrests soon and asked the community to stay vigilant. Call the police if you have seen the car or know anything about the case. Call 704-638-5333 and ask to speak to a detective, or, starting Monday, you can go online and click on the block that has “128 Rowan Mills Rd murder.”
The Salisbury Police Department is working with the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Department of Homeland Security, and the District Attorney’s Office to make the arrests.
“This is not a crime against two innocent victims. It’s a crime against the very fabric of our community,” Chief Smith said, adding, “If you’re not saying something, you’re not coming forward, you’re just as guilty as the person that pulled the trigger, in my eye.”
Below, police shared all the ways they can be contacted:
- By phone- 704-638-5333 ask to speak to the detective division
- Salisbury Police Department Facebook messenger
- Nixle app by texting 888777 with the words TIP MYSALISBURY
- Visit their website and click on the block that has 128 Rowan Mills Rd murder (will be active this coming Monday)
- Crime stoppers at 866-639-5245
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