Shooting claims 19-year-old's life

Kinston almost made it through the year without a homicide.

The shooting death on Wednesday of Dajuquon “DJ” Poole, 19, as the result of a fight on King Street was the city’s first of 2012, according to Cmdr. Jennifer Canady of Kinston Department of Public Safety.

Poole and Tiran C. Farris, 28, were reportedly in a fight Wednesday that ended with each suffering gunshot wounds to their upper bodies.

Poole was pronounced dead at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville on Wednesday. Farris is listed in stable condition at Vidant, police said.

The two men, both of Kinston, were lying wounded in front of a house at 918 E. King St. when police arrived to response to a call reporting gunshots being fired.

The original call to the 911 dispatcher around 3:40 p.m. reported a fight in progress but was upgraded as officers were responding.

KDPS isn’t releasing information about who shot whom first. No charges have been filed in the incident.

Canady said the police are “not at liberty” to release information about the weapon, including what type was used in the shooting or if any weapons were recovered.

She said there may have been a separate altercation earlier Wednesday that escalated to the shooting.

“We’re talking with witnesses and trying to determine exactly what happened,” Canady said.

This year’s homicide rate in the city is quite a contrast to 2011, when 10 people died as the result of gun crimes. Four of those occurred in a span of 19 days in June 2011.

Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 or at jessika.morgan@kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.