Rural Wendell community seeks more precautions following shooting that killed woman

WENDELL, N.C. (WTVD) -- A woman died Sunday night near Wendell, marking the first homicide of the year in that area, according to Wake County Sheriff's Office.

Bobby David said it's unusual for him to ever see emergency responders near his home, so he was stunned when they swarmed the area late Sunday night.

"Me and my wife were in bed. It woke me up trying to figure out what was going on," David said. "You don't hear stuff like that down this way."

At about 10:30 p.m., deputies were called to the 7000 block of Hodge Road for a reported shooting. They found a woman with a gunshot wound.

She was identified as 24-year-old Serenity Spencer. She died from her injuries at a hospital.

ABC11 met David on Monday as he trimmed branches from the trees in front of his home. He wasn't sure which house EMS crews responded to Sunday night.

"This road is named after my forefather's: Hodge Road. I am a Hodge," Lindsay Hodge said.

For 60 years, Lindsay Hodge has called this community home. His brother lives next door. His nephew lives across the street and his sister lives off in the distance. He was sleeping when the shooting happened.

"It's a lot of wild stuff that goes on around here that I wish that wouldn't," he said. "Lot of drugs being sold. I wish that wasn't happening here."

Hodge suspects drugs are being sold because he recently noticed the rural road has gotten unusually busy. And that traffic seems to him to be the same cars over and over.

"Lot of tell-tell signs. You have to know what to look for," said Hodge.

Investigators believe the shooting was related to an ongoing dispute. There is no known threat to the community. However, no arrests have been made yet.

Hodge worries the area is quickly changing for the worse. He'd feel safer if there were increased safety measures in place.

"We need more policing in this area," he said.

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