A person was shot and killed Monday night at a shopping center near a massive apartment fire in Morrisville, police said.
Zachary David Horn was shot at Park West Village near the Crumbl cookie store, according to arrest warrants. Horn was taken to the hospital, where he died.
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John Willis Fraizer III, 55, of Morrisville, was arrested and charged with murder and discharging a firearm in the city.
On Tuesday, a judge declined to set bond for Fraizer, meaning he will stay in jail. In court, prosecutors offered very few details about what led up to the shooting. Witnesses at the shopping center told WRAL that an argument might have led to things escalating.
Horn's friends expressed shock on social media. Parker Bryant met Horn in 2019 when they worked together as tile installers. In an interview with WRAL News, Bryant remembered Horn as a kind man who loved his daughters. Bryant said Horn was one of the biggest influences on his life.
"I'm not sure if he ever knew, but I looked up to him like a father figure," Bryant said. "He was there for me in my darkest times, and I know he was there for a lot of people when they needed him."
The shopping center is less than a mile away from a massive apartment fire at Camden Westwood Apartments that injured six people and sent one to the hospital.
Zek Silva, general manager of the Ruckus Pizza also in Park West Village, said he saw the victim on the ground and then saw the gunman enter his restaurant.
"Another bystander actually helped me tackle him to the ground and then we disarmed his weapon," Silva said. "That other bystander held him down for a while, I went next door to apply pressure until EMTs showed up."
Police are asking nearby businesses for surveillance footage.
"It's a little nerve-racking that something like that can happen so close. People are just walking around with their family and have to worry about somebody shooting at somebody over who knows what," said Tina Jasinski, who works nearby and described the shooting as rare for the area.
Meanwhile, Horn's friends are expressing and outrage over the shooting.
"I just talked to him three or four days ago," said Antwain Booth, who says he has known Horn since 2007. "When the details started coming out and it got confirmed, it was really devastating."
Booth described Horn as a father of three and someone who frequented the Park West Village area.
"We're numb," Booth said. "We're a little upset that it even happened. Especially where it was, that was one of his favorite areas to go."
The Crumbl Cookie remained closed on Tuesday. Anyone with information is asked to call the Morrisville Police Department.