Fatal shooting was drug-related, Fayetteville police say

A fatal shooting Sunday near a Fayetteville shopping center appears to have been the result of a drug deal gone wrong and was not random, police said Monday.

Joshua Maultsby, 19, died Sunday afternoon after a friend took him to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center to be treated for a gunshot wound.

Investigators said Maultsby and an acquaintance had arranged to meet for a drug deal but that it appeared Maultsby was robbed and shot behind Belk's at Tallywood Shopping around 12:30 p.m.

Police have not identified the shooter and have only said that he is stocky and between the ages of 19 and 22.

Anyone with information that could help investigators is asked to contact the Fayetteville Police Department at 910-391-2529 or Crime Stoppers at 910-483-7477.

According to his Facebook page, Maultsby was a 2012 graduate of Jack Britt High School and worked as a cook at The Wing Company.