WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — In 2020, Wilmington saw a record-breaking 22 murders in one year. While violent crime went down in 2021, it was still a busy year for law enforcement.
Just after midnight on April 3, a mass shooting broke out at a birthday party on Kidder Street. Three people were killed, including a 16-year-old girl, and four were injured.
About 30 people were inside and Wilmington Police later confirmed the crime was gang-related but didn’t have much more information, continuing to plead with the community that if anyone knows anything to please come forward.
“Justice is seeking the truth and we can’t seek the truth when we weren’t there to see what happened,” Captain Thomas Tilmon said at a press conference in May. “We have to have the testimony of the people that were there that saw what happened to prove a case.”
In November, families of two of the victims spoke to WWAY’s Hannah Patrick for an episode of her Unsolved series. Also asking for help from people who were at the party and may have witnessed something, asking potential witnesses to put themselves in their shoes and imagine what it might be like if it were their loved ones lost that night.
Turning to June 23, two women were accused of child abuse at Carr’s Academy in Wilmington. Pamela Carr and Geraldine Sidbury were charged with two counts of assault on a child under 12 after hitting two young girls with a leather belt while they were at daycare in May.
The women pleaded no contest and were given 18 months supervised probation, a 120 day suspended sentence, and were to have no contact with minor children who are not relatives.
The two were later sued by one of the families seeking $25,000 in damages.
In the Middle Sound area of New Hanover County, two people were killed on July 24. Bri-yanna Williams and former gang member Koredreese Tyson were shot to death in the home of George Taylor III who is the COO of TRU Colors Brewing, the brewery created to unite members of rival gangs to end street violence. Another woman was shot in the chest but later recovered.
Within a month of the killings, three validated gang members; Raquel Adams, Dyrell Green, and Omonte Bell were arrested for the murders and attempted murder.
In August, shots were fired at New Hanover High School. 15-year-old Chance Deablo is charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and more after allegedly bringing a gun to school and injuring one student.
When WWAY spoke to Deablo’s mother, she claimed he was bullied and wished the district had done more to protect her son.
The case was transferred to superior court in October.
WWAY has reached out to Wilmington Police for this year’s crime stats and we are waiting to hear back.