Authorities: Robber followed shoppers home

A 20-year-old Stantonsburg woman and a friend left the Walmart on Spence Avenue early Monday and noticed that a car appeared to be following them. The car drove past after they stopped at the woman's home, but as they got out of the car, a man dressed in dark clothing with an orange bandanna around his face ran from a nearby field with a gun and demanded money from them, authorities said.

After robbing the woman and her friend, the gunman told them to go inside the residence, fired a shot into the air and fled, authorities said. A witness reported an older-model, dark-colored Buick in the area at the time of the robbery.

A 48-year-old Goldsboro man left the Walmart early Tuesday, and when he arrived home and got out of his car, someone yelled at him to get on the ground. He told investigators that a man dressed in dark clothing with a bright orange bandanna around his face pointed a gun at him, threatened him and demanded money.

After robbing the man, the gunman fled on foot toward N.C. Highway 111.

In both incidents the robber is described as a black man between the ages of 17 and 25 with a medium build, about 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, with short hair.

Wayne County Sheriff Carey Winders urged people to be vigilant and stay in a well-lit, public area and call 911 if they believe someone is following them.

Anyone with information about the robberies is asked to call the Wayne County Sheriff's Office at 919-731-1481 or Wayne County Crime Stoppers at 919-735-2255.