Yesterday, ALE charged a man from Elizabeth City after he hosted an illegal party where a patron was shot and killed.
On September 13, 2020, deputies with the Perquimans County Sheriff’s Office responded to 118 Miller Street in Hertford after receiving numerous calls for shots fired. Law enforcement arrived to find more than 200 partygoers inside the building. A male patron suffering from a gunshot wound was transported to the hospital where he later died.
Through the course of the ALE investigation, Special Agent R. Parker found the host, Nathan Deshawn Downing, 28, of Elizabeth City, broke into the building and used it to illegally sell alcohol to attendees. Downing was charged with breaking and entering a commercial building, possessing alcoholic beverages for sale without the applicable ABC permits, and unauthorized possession of fortified wine and mixed beverages.
“These types of illegal events pose a threat, not only to the patrons who attend, but the surrounding community as well,” said Israel Morrow, ALE’s Assistant Director for Operations. “ALE makes every effort to identify the individuals responsible for the event and hold them accountable.”
The homicide investigation is ongoing with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
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About ALE
ALE’s 109 specially trained agents have the authority to arrest and take investigatory action throughout North Carolina. Their primary responsibility is the enforcement of Alcoholic Beverage Control, tobacco, state lottery and gambling laws.