Man slain in Maple Street home


One Henderson man is dead and another wounded after a shooting in a house on Maple Street on Tuesday night.

It was the first homicide in the city in 2005 and the third in Vance County.

Lajuan Wilkins, 22, died in his home at 1603 Maple St. of multiple gunshot wounds. Joe Nell Macon, 37, of the same home was shot in the leg, but police reported that the wound did not appear life-threatening.

Police received a report of the shooting at 9:26 p.m. Tuesday. When they arrived, they found the victims, but the culprits were gone.

Two or three men reportedly were involved in the shooting and left in a gray, four-door Buick with shiny wheel covers, according to a news release from Police Chief Glen Allen. He said the attackers were not in the Maple Street house for long.

Macon was taken to Maria Parham Medical Center and has talked to investigators. He does not know the names of his assailants, Allen said.

The chief did not have information on the relationship between the victims, nor could he comment Wednesday morning on a possible motive or whether the killers entered the house through an open door or were invited in. He did say there was no sign of forced entry.

Rookie Erin Ellerman is the investigating officer in the case, and J.N. Ragland is the investigating detective. The State Bureau of Investigation is assisting city police, which Allen said is typical after serious crimes for which there are no immediate suspects.

Crimestoppers, at 492-1925, will pay up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of Wilkins’ killers. Callers may remain anonymous, and all information is confidential.

Vance had five slayings last year, four of them in Henderson. Arrests were made in all four Henderson homicides.

One of the other two Vance murder cases this year has produced an arrest. Kentrell Venable, 18, is charged with the fatal beating of Charles Thomas Southerland, who was found less than two hours into the new year at the intersection of Hight Street and Murphy Road and died two days later at Duke University Medical Center.

Vance County sheriff’s deputies have not solved the killing of Otis Glasco, whose body was found near Brodie Road on Jan. 18, more than a week after his bullet-riddled car was found on Briggs Road.