Two arrested in connection with Wilmington homicide

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Detectives with the Wilmington Police Department have charged two local men in the death of 47-year-old Steven Robert Barton who was found shot on Hooper St. Thursday morning.

According to a Wilmington Police Department spokesperson, Eric Nathan Partin, 26, and Jaquan Orlando Copeland, 25, have both been charged with First Degree Murder for Barton’s death.

Police say Barton was found lying near the road by a recycling worker around 8 a.m Thursday morning.

When officers arrived they found Barton dead from a gunshot wound.