Faison captured in Richmond

Published 8:10 am Friday, September 6, 2013

AHOSKIE – Law enforcement officials here are in the process of bringing a suspect back to Ahoskie for attempted murder.

Terrence Devonne Faison, 35 of Ahoskie, was captured early Friday morning by the Henrico County Police Department SWAT Team in Richmond, VA. Faison is accused of shooting an Ahoskie teen at Pinegate Apartments on Tuesday afternoon, forcing three local schools to go on lockdown as several law enforcement agencies searched for the shooter.

Ahoskie Police Chief Troy Fitzhugh said his department is working on an extradition order to bring Faison back to Ahoskie.

“We are required to go through the extradition process unless the arrestee, Mr. Faison in this case, waives that process,” Fitzhugh said.

Upon his return, Faison will be served with six felony warrants – two counts of assault by pointing a gun, and one count each of attempted first degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill by inflicting serious injury, discharging a weapon into occupied property inflicting serious bodily injury and possession of a firearm by a felon.

The victim in this case, a 16-year-old male, was shot multiple times on Tuesday inside an apartment at Pinegate, located off West First Street adjacent to Ahoskie Elementary School. Fitzhugh said the victim remains in critical condition at a regional hospital.

The Police Chief added that the weapon used in the crime was a handgun, which has yet to be recovered.

Tuesday’s shooting led to an immediate lockdown of Ahoskie Elementary, Hertford County High School and Bearfield Primary School until 3 p.m. At that time, town and county law enforcement officers manned those three campuses to ensure the safety of the students, parents and staff as they boarded buses and private vehicles.

“I need to thank the Hertford County school system, citizens in our town/county as well as other counties in and outside of North Carolina for having the trust in the law enforcement departments and agencies for keeping our communities safe,” Fitzhugh said.

He added that in the days since the shooting, the Ahoskie Police and other agencies have acted upon tips regarding Faison’s whereabouts.

“I would like to thank Henrico County Police Department SWAT Team, Richmond Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigations, State Bureau of Investigations, Elizabeth City Police Department SWAT Team, Ahoskie Police Department, Hertford County Sheriff’s Office, Murfreesboro Police Department, Bertie County Sheriff’s Office, Chowan University Police, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, NC Wildlife Resource Commission, and Gates County Sheriff’s Office for all the assistance they provided in helping to bring a fugitive to justice,” Fitzhugh stated. “A special thanks to the News Media that played an integral part in the deliverance of information out to the community.”

Faison is no stranger to criminal activity. Prior to his 16th birthday, he was arrested and convicted in the murder of a family acquaintance, serving nine years and two months of a 20-year prison sentence (released in October of 2004) for second degree murder in Hertford County. Since his release from prison, Faison has been charged with two misdemeanors – resisting an officer and violating a protective order, both occurring in 2005.

About Cal Bryant

Cal Bryant, a 40-year veteran of the newspaper industry, serves as the Editor at Roanoke-Chowan Publications, publishers of the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald, Gates County Index, and Front Porch Living magazine.

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