ELLERBE — The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, July 30 announced the arrest of a teenager in the shooting death of a junior firefighter.
The 17-year-old defendant — who has not been named because of his age — has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 16-year-old Gabriel Michael Ennis.
Around 3:30 p.m. Sunday, June 22, the sheriff’s office reportedly responded to a call of a gunshot victim on Wallace Road in the Ellerbe area. That victim was Ennis, of Hamlet, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ennis was a junior firefighter with Cordova Fire and Rescue. That department transported Ennis’ body to the hospital after the scene was cleared, the sheriff’s office previously told the RO.
According to his obituary, Ennis was “looking forward” to starting his junior year of high school.
“Gabe’s greatest joy came from being a junior firefighter with Cordova Fire and Rescue, a title that he proudly embraced for almost two years,” his obituary reads, in part. “Gabe viewed many of his fellow members, and their families at Cordova Fire and Rescue, as family. He was the kind of individual that any agency would be proud to have.”
His funeral was held on June 30.
"Our detectives assigned to the Major Crimes Unit of the Criminal Investigations Division have conducted a thorough investigation, working diligently with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Richmond County District Attorney's Office,” Sheriff Mark Gulledge said in a statement.
According to the sheriff’s office, the defendant turned himself in, and is currently being held without bond in an undisclosed juvenile detention facility.
"Despite this arrest, the case remains open, and for the integrity of the investigation, additional details and information are being withheld at this time,” Capt. Mitchell Watson, chief investigator with the Criminal Investigations Division, said in a statement. “However, we encourage anyone with information related to this case to come forward and assist us in our ongoing investigation."
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
