Woman Inside Roanoke Rapids Home Shoots, Kills Man Facing Child Abuse Charges After He Forced His Way In at 4 A.M.
Key Takeaways
- A woman in a Roanoke Rapids home on Coleus Lane shot and killed Tony Lee Creekmore after he forced his way inside around 4 a.m. Sunday.
- Creekmore was facing child abuse charges stemming from a July investigation involving a child found with severe bruises on the same Coleus Lane.
- Deputies were still en route when the caller reported Creekmore had already forced his way into the residence.
- The Halifax County Sheriff's Office said no criminal charges have been filed against the woman and the investigation remains ongoing.
- The sheriff's office has not identified the woman who fired or confirmed whether she is connected to the earlier child abuse case.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
ROANOKE RAPIDS, NC — A woman inside a home in the Roanoke Rapids area shot and killed a man facing child abuse charges early Sunday after he forced his way into the residence, according to the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office.
As reported by RRSpin, Major Anzell Harris said deputies were dispatched around 4 a.m. to a domestic call at a residence on Coleus Lane. A man identified as Tony Lee Creekmore was banging on the door. Harris said it was not clear why Creekmore was there.
Deputies were still en route when the caller reported that Creekmore had forced his way inside. A woman in the home fired. Deputies arrived to find Creekmore dead from an apparent gunshot wound. Harris said the woman’s name is being withheld.
The timeline here is the part every armed citizen should study. The call went out while he was still outside banging on the door. By the time he was through it, help was still on the road. Whatever happened inside that house happened in the gap between the 911 call and the patrol car pulling up. That gap is what a home defense mindset has to be built around. A firearm is part of it, but so are a plan, a safe spot inside the home, and a phone already dialed.
Members of the sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division responded to the scene. Harris said no criminal charges have been filed and the investigation remains ongoing to determine whether charges will be warranted. I would be surprised to see charges here. What the sheriff’s office has described so far is a man facing child abuse charges forcing his way into a home at 4 a.m. while deputies were still on the way. Still, no charging decision has been announced.
The charges Creekmore was facing stemmed from a July investigation that also began with a domestic call on Coleus Lane. Deputies found a child with severe bruises and marks consistent with being struck by an extension cord. He was charged with intentional child abuse resulting in serious physical injury, three counts of resisting a public officer, and disorderly conduct.
In September, investigators determined Creekmore had been around the household despite being ordered to stay away. He was charged with misdemeanor child abuse and violating a court order. A woman connected to the residence was charged at the same time with aiding and abetting and accessory after the fact. She is accused of coercing a child to lie during a forensic interview to protect Creekmore. The sheriff’s office has not identified the woman who fired on Sunday or said whether she is connected to that case.
Creekmore’s case was still moving through Halifax County District Court when he was killed. Late in the week before the shooting, Assistant District Attorney Sonravea Privette moved to strike a failure to appear and a bond forfeiture against him and to recall an order for his arrest. According to the motion, another North Carolina district attorney’s office had alerted the state to extenuating circumstances and safety concerns that kept Creekmore from appearing in court as scheduled.
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On Monday, the day after the shooting, Judge W. Rob Lewis II found good cause and granted the motion. He recalled the arrest order, struck the failure to appear and bond forfeiture, and rescheduled the trial for Jan. 28. The charges against Creekmore were allegations, and he was never convicted.
The sheriff’s office asks anyone with additional information to contact Detective Sergeant M. Hasty at 252-554-9733.
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