Man charged with murder in death of Henderson teen

Henderson, N.C. — A 20-year-old Henderson man was charged with murder Thursday in the shooting death of a teenage boy a day earlier.

Members of the Henderson Police Department and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation arrested Arthur Thomas Peace Jr., of the 1000 block of Lehman Street, and charged him with one count of first-degree murder.

Peace was held in the Vance County Jail without bond. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled in Vance County District Court for July 13.

Police said that officers found 14-year-old Clayton Batchelor Jr., of Harriett Street, dead about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday on the roadside in the 1300 block of South Williams Street.

Investigators would not comment about the shooting, but Pastor John Miles, a friend of Batchelor's family, said the boy, known in the neighborhood as C.J., was riding home from a friend's house when he was shot.

"He shouldn't die like this. It's bad. It hurts," Miles said. Now we've got a grieving mother and a grandmother and aunt getting ready to bury their son, 14 years old."

Neighbors say Batchelor's death – just days after a young woman was shot nearby – is another senseless violent act in their community.

"There's so many innocent bystanders and so many gets getting gunned down in this community and in this town, it's just ridiculous," said Nakeisha Alston.

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Latest Comments

SUCH A BIG MAN TO SHOOT A CHILD FOR A BICYCLE...HE SHOULD NOT EVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY AGAIN......ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.......

delilahk2000
July 6, 2012 4:27 p.m.

hummerjojo You are right, parents need to do their job... but realistically, not all will... and you will have some that do everything in their power and the child won't listen or will sneak to do what they feel like doing... heard the saying "it takes a village to raise a child", that's more true this day and age. Sometimes a kid won't listen to parents, or don't have the luxury of having devoted parents... EVERYONE needs to work together to fix this community ...

kimsstressed
July 6, 2012 3:14 p.m.

i try my very best not shop in henderson. will drive 30 minutes to wake forest. this town is getting worse everyday. by heart breaks for this family and this young man losing his life so young. but, at the same time i am tired of everyone saying the cops and community needs to step up but what about the parents doing their job. no child needs to be out at 3:30 in the morning. this town isn't safe day or night. until we stop pointing the finger at others and take ownership of what we do or don't do nothing will change.

hummerjojo
July 6, 2012 3:01 p.m.

phattcatt28 Of course there are some citizens in Henderson that will speak up and do what's right... and that's probably how they tracked down this shooter so quickly, but we both know that in some areas, that's not the case. You are exactly right, unless law enforcement AND citizens work together, nothing will change... but remember, it goes farther than the officers on the streets.. They can only do so much. Pressure needs to be put on the local DAs and court system to actually PUNISH the guilty, not just slap them on the hands. The community can come together and work with the PD, but what good will that do if they're not punished accordingly?

kimsstressed
July 6, 2012 2:34 p.m.

My point is made here on the comment I made on the racial justice thread. Heart goes out to the victims family.