Rocky Mount man charged in double homicide

Officers responding to reports of shots fired found the bodies of Derrie Stephen Smith, 17, of Buff Road, and Quinton Maurice Hinton, 25, of Winston Walk, in an apartment at 1845 Boone St. shortly before 1 a.m., police said. Both had been shot.

Investigators developed evidence to charge Marquette Levon Joyner, 25, with two counts of first-degree murder. He was being held without bond.

Police said a robbery related to drug activity might have been the motive for the shootings.

Hinton had a criminal record dating to 2006, including convictions for larceny and carrying a concealed weapon, according to state Department of Correction records. He was scheduled to go on trial in Nash County in May on charges of breaking and entering, second-degree kidnapping and communicating threats.

Smith had been shot once before. Last April, police said, he was critically injured when he was shot in the abdomen from close range.

Kiona Williams, 18, who lives a block from Thursday's shootings, said she wasn't surprised to hear police believe the shooting might be drug-related.

"There's just a lot of crime around here," Williams said, adding that she fears for the safety of her brothers, ages 14 and 10.

"(With) all the violence and negativity, there's nothing positive around here. It's not a place I want my brothers to grow up," she said. "It's a possibility we can escape it. I think (our mother) is looking for somewhere to stay right now. So, you know, it's sad. It's really sad."