On Sunday, June 4, 2006, at 12:49 a.m., emergency personnel were dispatched to 138 Ramsey Street in response to a report that someone there had been shot.
Henderson police officers arrived and found James Arthur Ross, age 60, of the same address laying in his yard, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. An ambulance took the victim to Maria Parham Medical Center where he died soon thereafter. The victim’s car was taken from the residence and was later recovered several blocks away after having been abandoned.
Detectives of the Henderson Police Department have made two arrests in the June 4 murder of James Arthur Ross. Warrants for the suspects were obtained by Detective Joe Amos following an investigation involving several members of the investigative division of the Henderson Police Department and both were arrested last night without incident.
The arrests followed an investigation by members of the police detective division. Both suspects are charged with first degree murder and felony larceny of an automobile and have been confined to the Vance County Jail without bond pending a first appearance court hearing next week.
Arrested were:
Earl Harris, age 16, of 62 Bryan Lane, Henderson, North Carolina
DeLawrence Brooks, age 16, of 550 West Andrews Avenue, Apartment 29, Henderson, North Carolina
A .270 caliber rifle was recovered by officers at the scene and is believed to be the weapon used. The investigation tends to indicate that the killing followed a dispute with the victim who was familiar with at least one of the suspects.