Police chief speaks about 4 murders in 1 week

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — With the fourth murder reported in less than a week, Wilmington Police Chief Ralph Evangelous held a news conference to discuss the crime.

The first homicide was reported Thursday when the body of a man was found in an abandoned home on Princess Place. No word on the cause of death or identity of the man. The second murder happened Saturday night in the parking lot of 420 Raleigh St. There have been no charges filed in that case so far. The third murder happened overnight Sunday. Two people are now facing charges in connection with the killing of a homeless man. Finally, a home invasion and shooting were reported at 211 Queen Street. A male victim died from those injuries.

At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Evangelous stressed these were not connected incidents. He also said they were targeted acts of violence.

“These acts of violence are appalling; however, it is not a reflection of our city as a whole,” Evangelous said. “We are still a safe city and we will continue to work to solve each of these cases and bring the offenders to justice. We appreciate our community’s patience as we work to remove these violent criminals from our city streets.”

Evangelous plans to speak about the recent rash in crime at tonight’s city council meeting.