A disagreement between two groups of people led to the shooting heard in downtown Greensboro in the early morning hours of Sunday, March 3, Greensboro Assistant Police Chief Tommy Nelson told the Lake Oconee News.
No one was injured, but residents in the area of North Walnut and East North streets reported hearing shots being fired shortly after midnight. More than 50 shell casings were found in the area, and at least two houses were hit by bullets with some shells found inside the homes.
“Based on the trajectory of the rounds,” Nelson said Tuesday, “it looks like they may have been shooting up in the air to send a message to somebody and not necessarily trying to hit anybody. With that amount of rounds being fired, you would surely think that somebody would have gotten hit or more objects would have been hit.”
As a result of the investigation, two people were arrested Monday morning at a home on Canaan Circle.
Inside the residence, police found multiple weapons, including two AR-15 assault rifles and a 9mm handgun, both using the same caliber ammunition as was found at the shooting scene on March 3. Police say they also found more than two pounds of marijuana and large quantities of Claritin and Allegra, which are popular ingredients used to make methamphetamine, as well as other drug paraphernalia.
A press release issued by Greensboro Police Chief Rodricus Monford identified the suspects as Mario Demond Kimbrough, 41, and Desmond Michael Dunn, 22, both of Greensboro. A warrant is still out for another suspect, Deidra Dunn, 43.
Monford added officers arrested Devantea Malik Dunn, 17, of Greensboro, and Ja’Marion Antonio Evans, 19, of Union Point, in connection with the incident.
Police expect even more arrests in the incident.
Both Kimbrough and Desmond Dunn were charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Kimbrough was also charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Police say the suspects did not want to talk to investigators. It was unclear at press time if they have lawyers or who they are.
Nelson says the exact reason for the shooting remains unknown.
“What we’ve learned so far, it was not over drugs,” he said.
Nelson said that gunshots in the city of Greensboro are very rare, about two incidents per year.