A 13-year-old girl was shot and killed late Sunday afternoon on a quiet cul-de-sac off Patetown Road, and police have charged three teenage boys with first-degree murder, authorities said. Officers found the victim with a gunshot wound just after 4:35 p.m. on Alpha Court and pronounced her dead at the scene.
Goldsboro police said investigators identified three juveniles in the hours after the shooting and took them into custody Monday. The case arrives in the final days before Christmas and has shaken a neighborhood that sits a short drive from schools and churches on the city’s north side. Detectives from the Investigative Services Bureau are building a timeline, canvassing nearby homes for doorbell video and comparing recovered shell casings with state databases. Prosecutors with the Wayne County District Attorney’s Office have been briefed on the arrests and will coordinate next steps. Because of the suspects’ ages, officials did not release their names. Family members and classmates gathered through the evening along the taped perimeter as officers documented the scene and a mortuary van arrived.
Police said patrol units responded to a shots fired call in the 200 block of Alpha Court at 4:35 p.m. Officers found the girl lying near the end of the cul-de-sac with visible trauma. Emergency medical personnel arrived within minutes, but the teen was pronounced dead where she fell. Investigators placed evidence markers near cartridge cases and noted impact points on a parked vehicle and a wooden fence. Detectives interviewed several people who had been outside on the mild December afternoon and collected snippets of video from cameras that face the street. A preliminary update Monday said a 15-year-old male and two 16-year-old males from Goldsboro were charged with first-degree murder and felony conspiracy. Officials said additional charges are possible as lab work and interviews continue.
Relatives identified the victim publicly as Jaleeyah Tune, age thirteen. Police did not immediately release a formal identification pending medical examiner procedures. The girl’s mother described her as cheerful and helpful at home and said she had wrapped presents earlier in the day. A sister who said she was nearby when the gunfire began told reporters she held the teen’s hand as neighbors called for help. Officers did not say whether the victim was the intended target. It remained unknown what sparked the shooting or whether there had been an earlier dispute. Detectives collected multiple phones for data downloads and requested records that could show calls or messages in the hours before the gunfire.
Alpha Court is a short residential loop with small single-story homes and driveways that face one another across a narrow street. On Sunday evening, police cruisers blocked each end while evidence technicians photographed the shoulder and a patch of grass where investigators said bullets struck low to the ground. Several residents described hearing a quick burst of shots followed by a car accelerating away. Others said they saw teenagers running between yards. Streetlights blinked on as dusk settled, and the glare lit the yellow tape lines stretched across the road. A cluster of friends and relatives stood quietly near a mailbox as officers finished measurements and loaded equipment back into a mobile crime scene van.
Police did not immediately describe the firearm used in the shooting. The department said the charged teens were taken to a juvenile facility after interviews with detectives and consultations with on-call prosecutors. Under North Carolina law, juveniles charged with first-degree murder can be transferred to Superior Court after hearings that consider probable cause and public safety. Authorities said those decisions would be made after the holiday week when court schedules resume. The District Attorney’s Office will review the investigative packet, including autopsy and ballistics reports, before announcing any transfer petitions or additional counts.
Goldsboro has seen periodic surges in gunfire this year, including several shootings on residential streets that drew large overnight responses. City leaders have emphasized coordinated work between patrol officers, school resource units and community groups to steer teenagers away from violence. Sunday’s killing, in daylight on a cul-de-sac, amplified concern among neighbors who said they had grown used to sirens but not to a child’s death steps from their doorways. Ministers and mentors who work in North End neighborhoods visited Alpha Court and spoke quietly with families while investigators wrapped up their documentation.
By midmorning Monday, stuffed animals and candles lined a spot near the end of the cul-de-sac. A small cross, handwritten in marker, rested against the curb. People who knew the girl traded stories about her interest in music and school. A woman who said she often saw the teen walking to a friend’s house called her polite and upbeat. Others shook their heads as they peered at chalk outlines left by technicians that marked shell casing locations. A tow truck removed a damaged sedan from a driveway as officers widened their search to include nearby intersecting streets for any discarded items that could be connected with the shooting.
Investigators said the focus now is on finalizing a minute by minute sequence from the first call to the arrests. That includes synchronizing doorbell camera timestamps, mapping locations of recovered evidence, and comparing cartridge cases to entries in state and federal ballistics systems. Detectives also requested any hospital notifications for walk in patients with cuts from glass or impact injuries that could indicate flight from the scene. The medical examiner will determine the precise cause of death and trajectory details that can help place the shooter’s position. Police said they would release additional information when court documents are filed and after scheduled juvenile hearings occur.
As of late Monday, police said the three juveniles remained in custody and the investigation was active. Officials anticipated the next public milestone would be the filing of juvenile petitions and any court dates set after the holiday week. No further updates on the victim’s formal identification or funeral plans were available.
Author note: Last updated December 22, 2025.