Community concerned after shooting into third home in Salisbury

SALISBURY, N.C. — Another home in Salisbury was shot into multiple times, and neighbors are questioning if it’s gang-related and connected to the murder of 7-year-old A’yanna Allen.

Police said someone fired shots into a home on Messner Street in the city’s West End. They said the shooting happened Sunday morning, after 22-year-old Sharod Mathis was shot in the parking lot of a nearby bar, and before A’yanna was shot and killed while sleeping inside a home.

(A'yanna Allen)

“Salisbury’s getting a bad name and we need to clean it up,” neighbor Decarlo Duling said.

Duling lives doors away from the house that was shot at more than a dozen times. He said he and his neighbors were terrified.

“You can’t get any sleep. My next-door neighbor told me she had to hide in the bathtub for an hour and a half,” Duling said.

Duling and many others believe all three shootings are connected and are gang-related, but so far, police have not confirmed that.

For years, Channel 9 has reported about gang violence in Salisbury. Former veteran Charlotte-Mecklenburg homicide detective Gary McFadden said he’s been working with Salisbury to tackle the violence.

“A lot of times in the community, street gangs form based on street name, street zip code,” McFadden said.

He said leaders should take a different approach when it comes to fighting crime and gangs.

“Go to the people who (are) committing crimes and have a conversation with them and see how we can better the city of Salisbury,” McFadden said.

He also pointed out that the community should put their anger to good use, by going to the police with information that will help officers make arrests.

“We need the people to step up and say enough is enough. We’ve had enough, we need to address violence in our community,” McFadden said.

Police have not made any arrests in any of the shootings.

The Made Man Barber Shop on West Innes Street in Salisbury will cut hair from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday in exchange for donations for 7-year-old A'yanna's family.

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