WINTON – Convening here Tuesday, a Hertford County Grand Jury returned true bills of indictment against Shakur Deandre Stephenson in the Aug. 3 murder of Lakiesha Sutton, and the attempted murder of five other individuals.

Stephenson, age 22 of Murfreesboro, remains behind bars without the benefit of bond. He is scheduled to return to court in early November.

Tuesday’s indictments formally charged Stephenson with one count of first degree murder, five counts each of attempted first degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and one count of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle.

Jamal Summey is representing Stephenson as a court-appointed attorney.

Sutton, age 23 of Ahoskie, was working as a clerk at Murphy Express, located on US 13 South, in the early morning hours of Aug. 3. There, an altercation occurred in the parking lot of the business, prompting Sutton to exit the store to investigate.

“From the information we gathered during our investigation, the store clerk, Ms. Sutton, exited the store and was in the vicinity of the individuals involved in the altercation at which time shots were fired, and the store clerk was struck by a bullet,” said Ahoskie Police Chief Troy Fitzhugh in a story published following the deadly shooting.

In addition to Sutton and Stephenson, Fitzhugh said there were five other males in the parking lot of the business at the time of the shooting. Two of those five were struck by the gunfire and transported to the Emergency Room at Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital. Neither suffered life threatening injuries; one was struck by a bullet in his foot while the other was shot in the buttocks.

Stephenson fled the scene and was arrested eight days later in Henrico County, VA. He waived extradition and was returned to Hertford County.