Two fatal shootings related, Halifax authorities say

Overnight shootings that killed two children in different locations in Halifax County are related, and investigators have "persons of interest" in the cases, authorities said.

Two-year-old Dyana Anderson was shot and killed at about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday in her family home on Cedar Street after someone walked up to the residence and fired shots inside.

The toddler's grandmother, 54-year-old Catherine Price, was wounded. Authorities would not say what hospital she was in out of concern for her safety, but she was in serious condition Wednesday morning.

About 9:45 p.m. Monday, less than three hours before the girl was killed, Keyeon Garner, 15, was walking with several others near the intersection of Maple and East 11th streets when two or more people stepped out from the woods and began shooting, Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp said. Keyeon died from his wounds.

“I said no, not my, not my, not my grandson,” said his great-grandmother, Mary Garner.

Tripp said a 17-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man who were with the teen were also shot, but they were treated at a local hospital and released.

Investigators said they found different bullet casings at the scene, indicating there were at least two shooters.

During a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Tripp and Weldon Police Chief Mark Macon declined to reveal specific information about the shootings because the investigation is ongoing.

"I will not at this point express why we believe they are related. Just take me at that word," Tripp said. "As the case develops, we'll be able to show that more in comparison."

He said there appears to be a motive in the shootings, but he would not offer details.

"Because we do have people of interest, it does come with a motive," he said.

Macon and Tripp could not say whether the shootings were gang-related or whether the toddler's teenage mother, Tamara Anderson, knows the persons of interest. The pair said they are working with the State Bureau of Investigation and hope to make arrests soon.

Larry Price, Catherine Price's husband, said Dyana was his adoptive granddaughter.

"I always kiss (Dyana) on the head before I go to work," he said. "When I get off work, I look forward to seeing her. She's going to be missed. It's going to hurt me. It's going to be a hard life for me now. I hope my wife makes it."

Price said he was asleep when the shootings began and woke up to the sound of screaming. He told everyone to get back from the windows.

When he saw his wife, he didn't realize she had been shot.

"There was so much blood on the bed, I thought from the baby, I didn't know she was shot," Larry Price said. "I would talk to her, and she wouldn't respond to me. I said, 'Hey Cat, wake up, wake up. You all right?' But she wouldn't say nothing too much."

Juanita Richardson, Price's sister-in-law, said that Catherine Price was in bed sleeping when she was shot.

"I don't know who did this, but I pray for justice," she said.

Both Tripp and Macon expressed sympathies for the families.

"It's a very tough morning for the community," Macon said. "This is the first time I've experienced tragedy in this area of this magnitude."

Anyone with information should call the Weldon Police Department at 252-536-3136 or the Halifax County Sheriff's Office at 252-583-8201.