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WINTON – A 30-year-old woman murdered inside her mother’s home here early Wednesday morning was apparently not the intended target of a drive-by shooting.

And this wasn’t the first time that this particular residence has been shot at by unknown assailants.

Hertford County Sheriff Dexter Hayes identified the victim as Carika Macole Vann. She was at the home of her mother, Iris Hines, who resides at 200 East Wynn Street.

“Ms. Vann was not who the shooter or shooters were after,” Hayes said,” and neither was her mother.”

Ms. Hines was also at the residence at the time of the shooting but was not injured.

The Sheriff did not say who was the intended target.

Hayes noted that Vann was the mother of one child.

“It saddens me greatly to see a life taken, a mother, daughter, aunt, and a friend. I pray for the family and I pray that we can bring them some justice for the loss of their love one,” Hayes said in a press release.

Hayes said the murder investigation is in its early stages. He said several shots were fired at the residence at approximately 3:38 a.m.

“We have not made any arrests at this time, but we have several good leads that we are following,” the Sheriff stated on Friday morning.

He also shared some new details in the case.

“This is not the first time this particular house had been targeted,” Hayes said. “It has been shot at before on different occasions.”

Those with information to share about Wednesday’s fatal shooting are encouraged to immediately contact the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office at 252-358-7800.