Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM OCTOBER 26 - NOVEMBER 1, 2022 UCW 11 Daughter of City Councilwoman shot and killed by MICHAEL FUTCH, CityView Today e 15-year-old daughter of Fayetteville City Councilwoman Courtney Banks-McLaughlin was shot and killed Friday night, Oct. 21 on Maitland Drive, Mayor Mitch Colvin and two council mem- bers confirmed Saturday. Coryonna Young was a 10th grader at Seventy- First High School. "We are all heartbroken to hear about the tragic loss of our colleague's daughter," Colvin said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Councilwoman Banks-McLaughlin and her family." Officers responded to a reported shooting just be- fore 7 p.m. along the 2000 block of Maitland Drive, the Police Department said in a release. In a Saturday update, police said the shooting oc- curred inside a residence along that block. "e individuals involved were juveniles and known to one another," police said in the release. Officers and Emergency Medical Service per- sonnel arrived and found a person with a gunshot wound. e person was pronounced dead at the scene, the release said. e Police Department's Homicide Unit is inves- tigating. Members of the Police Department did not respond to phone calls or emails seeking additional comments about the shooting. e neighborhood is not far from Cliffdale Road in west Fayetteville. Neighborhood resident Daman Gilmore said that earlier Friday a group of young people – includ- ing Coryonna — were happy and practicing their marching drills for what looked to be Air Force Junior ROTC. "I was like, man, what escalated that fast?" Gilm- ore said he remarked later when he learned of the shooting. Gilmore, 47, has lived on Maitland Drive for about eight years and said the area is normally quiet with kids playing and people walking in the neighborhood. "We figured that someone heard something," Gilmore said. A man who came to the door of the house that two neighbors pointed out as the location of the shooting said he didn't know anything about what happened. Another neighborhood resident, who is 39 and has lived in the area for two years, also called the neighborhood "very quiet." Maitland Drive has rows of two-story houses on each side and is largely home to active-duty and vet- eran military service people, residents said. Gilmore said Maitland is part of the expanded Heathcote of West Point subdivision. Banks-McLaughlin represents District 8 on the City Council. She is in her second term. She was first elected in November 2019. According to her biography on the city website, Banks-McLaughlin is married to Melvin McLaugh- lin, an 82nd Airborne Division disabled veteran. She has five children and one grandchild. Councilwoman Kathy Jensen said Banks- McLaughlin was very close to her daughter. "I have gotten to know Councilwoman Banks- McLaughlin the last few years, and she is a colleague and I consider her a friend, and my heart is break- ing for her,'' Jensen said. "I know that she and her daughter were very close." is was the third fatal shooting in Fayetteville this week. Two people died in separate shootings Tuesday night, Oct. 18, police said. Damian R. Lee, 26, died in a shooting around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday on Slater Avenue, police said. Shaquille Deonte Bratcher, 29, died in a shooting just after 11 p.m. Tuesday on South Raeford Road. Another person was injured, police said. DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS AGREE: FAYETTEVILLE CITIZENS DESERVE MORE SAY ON CITY COUNCIL REMEMBER TO VOTE YES FOR THE FAYETTEVILLE CHARTER AMENDMENT AT THE END OF YOUR BALLOT! As a former City Council member, I recognize the district model of Council's impact on addressing issues across district lines. Not being accountable for ignoring concerns in a fellow council member's area has led to delays in handling infrastructure improvements, public safety concerns, and other critical needs. Allowing citizens to hold more of their elected body responsible through their vote is vital to our city's success. - Tisha Waddell, Democrat, Council Member from 2017-2021. To me it's a simple choice, this amendment allows for us to vote for six council members instead of two. There's no better example of a representative government than to be able to vote for a majority of members of a governmental board. - Nat Robertson, Republican, Mayor of Fayetteville from 2013-2017 During my eight years as mayor, I witnessed first-hand the ineffectiveness of a council structure that rewards elected people to think small and often not consider what is best for the entire city. The proposed structure with five districts and four at-large seats provides an effective balance that allows Fayetteville to compete for better jobs with other cities in the state. - Tony Chavonne, Democrat, Mayor of Fayetteville from 2005-2013 NEWS MICHAEL FUTCH, CityView Today. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200.