Raleigh police charge 18-year-old with gun shop burglary

Raleigh police charged 18-year-old Jayvon Sanders with felony breaking and entering at the Triangle Shooting Academy on Tuesday. It's the third gun shop in Raleigh to have been hit by burglars in the past week.

Posted 10:16 a.m. Jun 9, 2020 — Updated 11:47 p.m. Jun 9, 2020

Brett Knese

, Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporters

RALEIGH, N.C. — Since May 31 there have been three break-ins at gun shops in Raleigh: two last week, and one overnight Monday.

Police were investigating a burglary at the Triangle Shooting Academy on Tuesday morning, just one week after other gun stores in the Triangle were targeted.

Officers responded to this store around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

By Tuesday evening, police had charged Jaqwell Jayvon Sanders, 18, with felony breaking and entering in connection with the burglary at Triangle Shooting Academy.

Police originally surrounded the building in case the thieves were still inside. The road in front of the store was closed for several hours and re-opened around 7 a.m.

Along with dozens of police officers, a SWAT team was on-site.

On May 31, someone smashed glass and fired on the lock at Smokin’ Barrel Guns & Ammo on Fayetteville Road in Raleigh. The door held, the shop owner said, but the building was damaged.

The incident may be connected to looting and riots that broke out across Raleigh May 30-31 after peaceful George Floyd protests turned violent.

On June 3, the owner of the Personal Defense and Handgun Safety Center shared surveillance video of three thieves breaking inside the window of his Tryon Road store. The thieves were not able to steal any firearms, which were locked up.