Mt. Olive investigating two homicides, police don’t believe they’re connected

MT. OLIVE, N.C. (WITN) -Mt. Olive police say they’re investigating two separate homicides from this past weekend but don’t believe they are connected.

The first happened Friday night when police responded to a call of an individual lying in the roadway in the 600 block of Connor Street.

Officers found Jamal Pearsall of Mount Olive suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

That investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.

Then on Saturday, police responded to a shooting in the 100 block of Daly Boulevard where they found McKinley Mathis Jr. of Mount Olive suffering from gunshot wounds. He was also pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say they identified Clifton Leach as a suspect in Mathis’ death.

On Sunday Leach turned himself in and is charged with an open count of murder.

He is in the Wayne County jail under no bond.