Halifax sheriff: Quadruple homicide near Enfield may be gang-related

Janice and James Harris and their visitors, James and Peggy Whitley, were shot on Aug. 21 while sitting at the Harris' kitchen table playing cards.

Officials said a family member went to check on the residents of the home at 980 Fishing Creek Road in the Glenview community west of Enfield and found the bodies.

Some items were missing from the home, but there were no apparent signs of a struggle, Sheriff Wes Tripp said previously.

Authorities now say the residence may have been targeted, but Tripp declined Monday to elaborate and all search warrants for the house have been sealed by court order.

Jim Harris, 88, was a gunsmith and had a federally licensed firearm business that he ran out of his home, and some neighbors say that may have been the motive behind the killings.

"That seemed to make sense at the time, that someone obviously went after his guns," Coy Herbert said Monday.

Earlier in October, the Halifax County Sheriff's Office increased an $8,000 reward to $51,000 for tips leading to an arrest in the case.

James Whitley, 76, was a farmer and his 67-year-old wife a former hairstylist. Janice Harris, 72, was an administrative assistant for a local builder.

The State Bureau of Investigation and sheriff's offices in Edgecombe, Northampton and Warren counties are assisting with the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Halifax County Sheriff's Office at 252-583-8201 or Crime Stoppers at 252-583-4444.