Arson investigated at Fayetteville paintball supplier 1 week after business lost $21K in robbery

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Just one week after a local paintball supplier lost thousands of dollars in a burglary, police are investigating a suspected arson after a fire broke out at the same location early Tuesday morning.

The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said the fire broke out at Black Ops Paintball, located on River Road in Fayetteville, around 4:30 a.m. Investigators spent more than seven hours Tuesday combing through evidence.

ABC11 recently spoke with the veteran-owned business after last week's robbery, where the store lost about $20,000 in merchandise and nearly $1,000 in charity donations. It was collecting donations for AIM Athletics Foundation, a group that offers team-building opportunities for wounded veterans of the U.S. military, the underprivileged, and those suffering from injury and disease.

"It's disheartening when someone comes into your home or business and they take something that isn't theirs," Black Ops Paintball general manager John Maninga told ABC11. "Somebody coming in and kind of stepping on that or taking away from the stuff we do for the community, it just makes me angry.

A source with close knowledge of the information told ABC11 that the fire likely started near the front of the building by the cash registers. The security footage from both incidents, according to the source, was not immediately turned over to law enforcement.

As of late Tuesday, the cause of the fire was still undetermined, according to the sheriff's office.

"Unfortunately it's horrible that something like that would happen to a business," said Tanea Brown, public information officer with Cumberland County Sheriff's Office. "We hope that anyone that knows any information about what's going on, please call us."

The law enforcement agency stressed the need for the public to help in any way they can.

"It helps us a ton," Brown added. "Even just a small bit of information will help us and we greatly appreciate that. So, if they could give us any information they have, whether it's a vehicle or a person -- anything -- just give us a call."