Police investigating after three people shot in Clinton
CLINTON, N.C. (WTVD) -- At least three people were shot at an apartment complex in Sampson County on Monday afternoon, leaving neighbors shaken and investigators searching for a suspect who remains at large.
Officers responded about 12:45 p.m. to Eastover Terrace Apartments in Clinton after receiving reports of a shooting. They found three people shot; all three were taken to Sampson Regional Medical Hospital and then airlifted to WakeMed.
The victims' conditions have not been released.
The area was swarmed by law enforcement as investigators collected evidence and worked to piece together what led to the violence.
The motive behind the shooting remains undetermined, police said. The house where the shootings took place remains blocked off.
ABC11 spoke to a neighbor, who said she heard the gunshots, about five, in rapid succession.
"It's just mind-boggling to me. I was right there, and I didn't see it, even though I'm sitting by the door, but I didn't see nothing. All I kept hearing was the gunfire," said Glenda Belton.
Belton, who has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years, said that after the gunshots, she saw a man step outside and fall to the ground.
She said she rushed to try to help him.
"It's just overwhelming to me. Just to see him lying there. He couldn't speak. The only thing I knew to tell him was to keep breathing, just keep breathing, and don't give up," Belton said, recalling her attempt to comfort one of the victims. "He just opened his mouth and was gasping for air."
Belton, who saw one of the victims sitting on his front porch earlier that day, was stunned by how quickly the situation escalated.
"To see him lying there like that just really messed me up," she said.
By Monday evening, the scene at Eastover Terrace had been cleared, but residents remained uneasy. Police said they are still working to determine a motive and have not released a description of the suspect.
Anyone with information about these shootings is asked to please call the Clinton Police Department at (910) 592-3105. They may also provide anonymous information by texting 847411, beginning their message with "tipcpd."
