Two people were killed and two others were injured in Rocky Mount between Saturday and Sunday in three shootings that appear to be unrelated, according to police.
As of Wednesday, four men have now been charged in connection to two out of the three shootings that both happened on Sunday.
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Around 8:50 p.m. on Saturday, Rocky Mount officers responded to shots fired in the parking lot of the Buffalo Wild Wings on Ring Road. Officers found 29-year-old Justin Cantres with a graze wound on South Franklin Street about four miles away. He was treated by EMS and refused transport to a hospital.
No suspect has been identified yet for this Saturday shooting.
Around 3 a.m. on Sunday, 19-year-old Ryo Steele and 20-year-old La’Ren Dickens were found with gunshot wounds in the 800 block of Virginia Street. Both died at the scene despite first responders' efforts.
Steele's family told WRAL News that he and Dickens were friends.
As of Wednesday, three people have now been charged in connection to the deaths of Steele and Dickens.
Rocky Mount police arrested and charged 27-year-old Bernard Smith as a suspect in the shooting death of Dickens. Smith was not charged for the death of Steele.
Smith was charged with one count of first degree murder. He was sent to the Edgecombe County Jail and is being held without bond.
On Wednesday, Rocky Mount police charged 20-year-old Trevion Scarboro with first degree murder in the death of Dickens. He is currently being held without bond at Nash County jail.
Rocky Mount police also charged 22-year-old Devonte Dales with first degree murder in connection to the death of Steele. Officers said Dales was initially arrested and already in custody at Nash County jail Monday on unrelated charges. He remains held without bond.
This investigation remains ongoing.
Minutes later after the Virginia Street shooting, 20-year-old Reggie Joyner was found with a gunshot wound on West Raleigh Boulevard. Joyner was transported to a hospital, where he was said to be stable.
Rocky Mount police arrested and charged 26-year-old Daquan Johnson as the suspect in this shooting that left Joyner injured.
According to investigators, Johnson and Joyner were involved in a brief verbal altercation at a nearby store. As Joyner was driving away, Johnson ran behind his vehicle and fired one shot from a handgun. The bullet entered the car and struck Joyner in the back.
Johnson surrendered himself on Monday to the Edgecombe County Magistrate. He was issued a $25,000 secured bond, then subsequently bonded out and released from custody.
All three cases are under investigation and do not appear to be related, police said.
Vigil held for victim of park shooting in Rocky Mount
Family and friends of Steele held a vigil for him Sunday night in the very park he was killed in earlier that morning.
Steele's parents told WRAL News they don't know what led up to the shooting and they are still looking for answers, adding that he just graduated high school a year earlier and was beginning his career as an electrician.
"There’s never been a conversation like, ‘Son, I’m going to have to bury you’ ever,'" said Steele's father, Derrick Steele. "It’s like, ‘Son, keep doing what you’re doing because you are going to take this here. You’re going to be in charge because you are going to be the best you can be.’ And he was doing that."
Ryo's mother told WRAL News that he was her oldest child.
"Not only is he beautiful on the outside, it radiates from here on out," she said.
WRAL News sent the following questions to the Rocky Mount Police Department:
- Are there any additional developments in the shooting investigations?
- Are there any suspects in the three shootings?
- How did police determine the shootings were not related?
The Rocky Mount Police Department told WRAL News they had no further information to provide.
The Steele family said they feel their son has joined a long list of young people shot in Rocky Mount. Earlier in 2025, a 16-year-old was shot during what police called a "situation between family members."
Then in June, two men were shot on James Street.
Anyone with information about these incidents is encouraged to contact the Rocky Mount Police Department or Twin County Crime Stoppers at 252-977-1111.