10:40 p.m. UPDATE:
Lenoir County Sheriff Chris Hill says it’s possible his deputies have caught all of the men involved in the shooting Thursday afternoon — there might have only been four people in a van instead of the five originally thought to be in it.
“We don’t have any good information on the fifth person or whether there was actually a fifth person,” Hill said. “There may have only been four but there is a possibility there was a fifth.”
The sheriff encouraged residents of Kinston to call 911 if they see any suspicious behavior or find a weapon in and around the affected area.
However, Hill said he feels the situation could be “wrapped up.”
“We’re just trying to figure out where we go from here,” he said. “We really don’t have a victim. All we really have is a van that fled after firing a gun into a field.”
There could be gun charges for the four captured suspects.
“What we know we have are people in custody who have criminal pasts,” Hill said. “We’re trying to determine if they are convicted felons. If they are, we’re looking into the possibility of charging them with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.”
The sheriff said his office isn’t yet ready to release the names of the four captured suspects, although he anticipates it’ll happen early Friday morning.
The Free Press will continue to update this story throughout the night and into Friday.
9:55 p.m. UPDATE:
Lenoir County Sheriff Chris Hill confirms to The Free Press that a fourth suspect has been captured. Only one remains at large and the search continues for him.
9:20 p.m. UPDATE (WITH NEW ADDITIONS TO PHOTO GALLERY):
Three men are in custody and two more at-large after a few shots in the woods fired from a van turned into a manhunt that spanned from U.S. 258 to the western boundary of Banks School Road on Thursday.
Around 5:15 p.m., a motorist called the 911 center after seeing a man firing a handgun out of a minivan near the intersection of Hill Farm Road and Banks School Road.
A Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office deputy was nearby and gave chase as the minivan turned onto Eastwood Drive and hit an embankment on the east side of the road, coming to rest near the ABC-123 Academy day care. According to Sheriff Chris Hill, five black men fled the vehicle into the woods behind the day care center.
The state Highway Patrol lent a helicopter to the search, arriving on the scene around 6 p.m., as deputies manned a parameter and investigators went into the woods after the suspects, aided by a K-9 unit.
LCSO crime scene investigators arrived at the scene of the minivan around 7 p.m., and conducted a preliminary analysis before a wrecker took it to a secure location for further investigation.
Most of the investigators and the K-9 unit returned to the law enforcement staging area at 7:33 p.m., having found one firearm behind the day care.
Deputies are continuing a house-to-house, shed-to-shed sweep of the area throughout the night.
7:50 p.m. UPDATE:
Three people -- as yet unidentified by the Lenoir County Sheriff's Office -- have been captured, along with a handgun.
A house-to-house, shed-to-shed manhunt continues and will continue into the night in the Eastwood Lane, Hill Farm Road area for two suspects, one considered armed and dangerous.
The van is being towed away from the scene right now.
6:55 p.m. UPDATE:
Lenoir County Sheriff Chris Hill tells Free Press reporter Junious Smith III there were five black males in the van, with a motorist reporting one pointed a firearm and discharged it. LCSO deputies immediately responded and began chasing the van, which crashed into the embankment on Eastwood Lane. All five in the van ran out of the van and three have been caught. Two are still at large, including one who is considered armed and dangerous.
The sheriff said no one was injured in the shooting from the van.
6:20 p.m. UPDATES (WITH NEW PHOTO):
A Highway Patrol helicopter has been enlisted in the search.
The dark-colored van that is being treated as a crime scene by investigators is at 639 Eastwood Lane near the intersection with Banks School Road.
A home on Eastwood Lane appears to also be part of the crime scene.
6:15 p.m. UPDATES:
There has still been no official reason for the manhunt; a media staging area has been set up at the Farm Bureau building on U.S. 258.
A dark-colored van parked on Eastwood Lane is being treated as a crime scene by investigators.
An SBI arson vehicle is also now part of the investigation.
UPDATE1:
The perimeter for the manhunt is from Summerhill Terrace to Banks School Road to Hill Farm Road. All vehicles are being searched for the suspects there and at intersection of Parrott Dickerson and Maple Leaf Road.
ORIGINAL REPORT:
A resident on Hill Farm Road in Kinston reports a manhunt is underway for three black men in a neighborhood near the ABC123 child care center .
Free Press Chief Photographer Janet Carter is on the scene, where she reports many deputies with the Lenoir County Sheriff's Office, along with assistance from the Kinston Department of Public Safety officers, are participating in the search with weapons drawn. Free Press reporters Junious Smith III and Wes Wolfe are also on their way to the scene.
Hill Farm Road is blocked as a perimeter has been set up from there to U.S. 258.
It is not yet known why the subjects are being sought, although there are unconfirmed reports from nearby residents of hearing gunshots.
More details as they become available.