Two arrested in connection to Rocky Mount graduation party violence

Two teens were shot at a graduation party in Rocky Mount on Saturday night after an argument escalated into violence, according to officials.

Posted 9:52 p.m. Jun 11, 2021 — Updated 4:24 p.m. Jun 14, 2021

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Two arrests were made in connection to a pair of shootings Saturday night after a high school graduation party in Rocky Mount.

Khalil Pierce-Sanders, 18, and Rake Cotton, 24, were charged with two counts of breaking and entering a vehicle and larceny of a firearm from a separate incident.

Rocky Mount police said there was an argument that escalated at a graduation party at the 1800 block of Windsor Drive.

A 19-year-old male was transported to UNC Nash Healthcare, where he was pronounced dead. The second victim, a 17-year-old male, was shot in the face at the same location. Police said he was found at a nearby McDonald’s on East Raleigh Blvd.

Neighbors told WRAL News they heard the guns shots but knew nothing about what happened.

Pierce-Sanders remained at Edgecombe County Detention Facility under $15,000 bond. Cotton received no bond due to currently being held at Edgecombe County Detention Facility under a federal probation violation.

Police said the homicide investigation is still ongoing.

This is the second shooting incident at a graduation party reported this weekend. This graduation party violence comes after the shooting death of a teen in Sanford during a graduation party in a hotel room. A 16-year-old was charged with shooting and killing an 18-year-old.

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