Family identifies 15-year-old girl killed, five other teens wounded in Goldsboro shooting

GOLDSBORO, N.C. (WITN) - Family members Thursday morning identified a 15-year-old girl who was killed in Wednesday night’s shooting that injured five other people.

The shooting happened around 6:30 p.m. at a home at 112 North Leslie Street.

Killed was Joyonna Pearsall, according to family members who spoke to WITN. The teen’s aunt tells WITN that Pearsall, who was in the 10th grade, was attending a spring break pool party when two men began arguing and gunfire erupted. She said the girl was an innocent bystander.

“Joyonna was an inspiration for everybody. If you wanted to laugh, you’d make sure Joyonna was around you. We called her Yanna mama,” said Joyonna’s Aunt Maria Bell.

Goldsboro police say a total of six people were shot.

Those wounded, who were taken to Wayne UNC Health Care, are between 15 and 19 years old, according to police.

Some neighbors told WITN that loud screaming and yelling is all they could hear around 6:30 p.m. as they say a large group of kids was seen running in fear after police say shots rang out at a party.

“I was standing on the side of a car, next thing you know- a few minutes went by and I heard shootings and then I started seeing screaming and I knew it was people shooting so I got low and I started running,” said neighbor Stephen Diggs.

Police said this morning that their investigation is still developing and haven’t said what led up to the shooting or any information about a suspect.

A vigil and march are scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Lionel Street.

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