Fourth teen charged in
shooting and robbery here

• Arrest Wednesday of Whiteville teenager is fourth suspect charged in the May 6 shooting and robbery of a construction worker in the Columbus Court Apartments Complex here.

By BOB HIGH
Staff Writer

Rufus James “Bruce” McMillian, 19, of Willow Creek Lane, Whiteville, was arrested Wednesday as the fourth suspect in the May 6 point-blank shooting and robbery of a construction worker in Whiteville.

“This arrest doesn’t close the case. We’re looking at others in our investigation,” Police Chief Jerry Britt said.

“But, we feel good about being able to find four of the group that we feel are the ones who committed the act that almost caused the death of the victim,” Britt added.

McMillian is charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injuries, plus two counts of armed robbery.

Earlier arrests were of Whiteville youths Eustance Gene “Reefer” Hunter, 18, a neighbor of McMillian’s along the short road called Willow Creek Lane that begins at Golf Course Road north of the city; Isaiah Dixon, 16, of Mt. Moriah Road; and James Edward Wilder, 18, of Pinewood Drive.

Victim improves

Christopher Darrell Keith, 32, of Smithfield, has improved during his hospitalization in Durham, where he was taken after being shot in his abdomen at 8:57 p.m. on Sunday, May 6. Keith was working to renovate and repair the low-income apartments on the city’s west side.

“He’s not out of danger, but I understand he’s doing better,” Police Detective Sgt. Bobby Fowler said.

Keith was robbed, then shot as one of the suspects put a .410-gauge shotgun against his stomach and pulled the trigger. Keith managed to run around his pickup truck to where another man was working before collapsing to the ground.

It was at this point that one of the suspects used the butt of the small shotgun to strike Keith in the forehead, before Michael Chavis, 48, of Four Oaks, the second worker, was also robbed, according to police.

While this action was taking place, Dixon and Wilder were breaking into Keith’s pickup and stealing personal items, according to arrest warrants.

More charges

Three more warrants were served on Dixon this week, all charging him with participating in three common-law robberies with Wilder.

The victims were a man from Stedman robbed of his wallet outside the Trademart at the intersection of U.S. 701 Bypass and Burkhead Street less than 20 minutes before the shooting; a man robbed of a case of beer the night before as he walked away from Hill’s Grocery across the bypass from the Trademart; and two women robbed of a pocketbook from their Best Western Motel room in April.