A 13-year-old girl was shot and killed late Sunday afternoon on a quiet cul-de-sac off Patetown Road, and police later charged three teenage boys with first-degree murder, authorities said. Officers found the victim just after 4:35 p.m. on Alpha Court and pronounced her dead at the scene.
Investigators said a 15-year-old and two 16-year-old boys, all from Goldsboro, were identified as suspects within hours of the gunfire and taken into custody Monday. The case, unfolding days before Christmas, has shaken a neighborhood of one-story homes near schools and churches on the city’s north side. Detectives with the Criminal Investigations Division are reviewing doorbell camera video, analyzing shell casings and building a minute-by-minute timeline as prosecutors in the Wayne County District Attorney’s Office prepare the early court filings. Because the defendants are juveniles, police did not release their names. Officials said additional charges are possible pending autopsy and lab results.
Patrol units were dispatched at 4:35 p.m. to the 200 block of Alpha Court for reports of shots fired. Officers arrived to find the girl on the pavement near the end of the cul-de-sac with a gunshot wound, according to an initial incident summary. Paramedics arrived within minutes but declared her dead at the scene. Technicians placed yellow evidence markers beside several cartridge cases and documented impact points on a parked sedan and a wooden fence. A mortuary van arrived after sundown as investigators stretched tape across both entrances to the loop. “This is devastating for the family and the community,” a department spokesperson said in an evening briefing.
Relatives identified the victim publicly as Jaleeyah Tune, 13. Her mother described her as cheerful and helpful at home, saying she had wrapped presents earlier in the day. A sister who said she was with Jaleeyah when the shooting started told reporters she held the teen’s hand as neighbors called for help. The family’s accounts, shared with local media, sketched a sudden burst of gunfire on a mild December afternoon as people moved between homes and cars. Police have not said whether Jaleeyah was the intended target or whether a dispute preceded the attack. Detectives collected several phones for data downloads and requested message logs that could establish contacts among those present beforehand.
Authorities announced Monday that a 15-year-old and two 16-year-old boys were charged with first-degree murder and felony conspiracy. The teens were transported to a juvenile detention facility after interviews with detectives and consultations with on-call prosecutors. Under North Carolina law, juveniles charged with first-degree murder can be transferred to Superior Court after hearings that address probable cause and public safety. Officials said the Wayne County District Attorney’s Office would evaluate transfer petitions after the holiday week. The Goldsboro Police Department said investigators would forward a full packet of certified interviews, scene diagrams, ballistics reports and camera exports as part of that review.
The block where the shooting occurred is a short residential loop of ranch-style homes where driveways face one another across a narrow street. On Sunday evening, cruisers with flashing lights blocked each end while evidence technicians photographed a shoulder of the roadway and a patch of grass where bullets struck low to the ground. Several residents described hearing a quick volley followed by a vehicle accelerating away. Others said they saw teenagers running between yards. Streetlights blinked on as dusk settled, and neighbors gathered at the tape line, speaking in hushed tones as officers measured distances and logged marker numbers into a mobile crime scene van.
Detectives are constructing a timeline from the first 911 call through the arrests. That work includes synchronizing doorbell time stamps, mapping the location of recovered casings, and comparing cartridge cases with state and federal ballistics databases. Investigators requested area hospital alerts for any walk-in patients with cuts from glass or impact injuries that could suggest flight from the scene. The medical examiner will determine the precise cause of death and trajectory details that could help place the shooter’s position. Officials said they were also seeking additional video from streets that feed into Patetown Road to trace any vehicles that left immediately after the gunfire.
Goldsboro has seen periodic bursts of gunfire this year on residential blocks, prompting city leaders to emphasize joint work among patrols, school resource units and community groups. But a killing in daylight on a cul-de-sac, with suspects of high-school age, sharpened concern among residents who said they were accustomed to sirens but not to the death of a child steps from their doorways. Ministers and youth mentors who work in the North End visited Alpha Court after sunset, standing with relatives as investigators wrapped up their documentation and loaded equipment back into a van. By morning, a line of stuffed animals and candles appeared near the curb where the girl fell.
Police did not immediately describe the firearm used in the shooting or whether a single gun was involved. Officers noted clusters of casings consistent with a short burst rather than extended fire, according to a preliminary summary. Investigators also towed a damaged sedan from a driveway to examine impact angles and glass spread patterns along the curb. A neighbor who had been inside at the time said the shots sounded like “a handful, in quick succession,” and that the street fell quiet as people ducked behind cars and walls. The department asked nearby homeowners to preserve any camera footage recorded between 4 and 5 p.m. Sunday.
As the case moves to its next phase, the District Attorney’s Office will review investigative reports and consult with detectives about potential transfer to adult court. Prosecutors typically align charging decisions with completed autopsy findings and ballistics matches. If the case is transferred, an arraignment would follow on the Wayne County Superior Court docket, with later hearings on discovery and motions. If the matter remains in juvenile court, hearings would address probable cause, detention and public safety conditions. Officials did not provide a schedule Monday but said decisions would come after the holiday week as courts resume normal calendars.
Late Monday, friends and relatives gathered again at the end of Alpha Court. Someone set a small white cross beside the curb, handwritten in marker. A woman who said she often saw Jaleeyah walking to a friend’s house called her polite and upbeat. “She always smiled when she passed by,” the neighbor said before stepping back from the tape. Across the street, workers swept glass into piles as detectives finished measuring bullet paths along the fence line and across the road shoulder. The sun slipped low and the cul-de-sac quieted, leaving behind spray-painted numerals on the pavement where evidence tags had stood.
As of Tuesday, police said the three juveniles remained in custody and that the investigation was active. The next expected milestone is the filing of juvenile petitions and any court dates set after the holiday week, followed by release of the autopsy summary and ballistics comparisons once laboratories complete their work.
Author note: Last updated December 23, 2025.