WADESBORO — Governor Roy Cooper announced on Wednesday that the state of North Carolina is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for a Wadesboro murder from 2020.
The reward is available for any information regarding the murder of Malik Byrd, 16, and the attempted murder of his cousin, Chrishaun Hough, 15, at the time of the incident. The murder occurred on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
On January 20, 2020, at approximately 5:30 p.m., the Wadesboro Police Department responded to a shooting in the roadway in front of 603 Oak Lane, Wadesboro, North Carolina. Upon arrival Wadesboro Police Officers discovered a vehicle riddled with bullets. Malik was pronounced dead at the scene and Chrishaun was critically injured. Chrishaun survived the shooting, but is now paralyzed.
Minutes prior to the shooting, Byrd and Hough were playing at the basketball court located at Harvest Ministries, according to an article from the Anson Record dated from January of 2020. According to officials, there was an altercation during the game. The two youth left and were followed by another vehicle once they drove off the property.
“Malik wasn’t in no gang,” said his football coach, Ralph Jackson, to the Anson Record.
Malik, number 22, played running back, was a linebacker, and a kick returner on the JV football team. “He was a phenomenal athlete,” explained Coach Jackson, “This year, he won MVP for JV. Last year, I don’t think he won any rewards, but he was, by far, one of the biggest standouts we had as a freshman.”
A couple hundred people show up at a community prayer held at Harvest Ministries the night following the shooting.
“We prayed for this community. Of course, we need to do more than pray. As the good book says, prayer without good works is useless. So we need to put legs on our prayers and build this community as much as we can,” said pastor Steve Adams at a vigil.
Anyone having information concerning this case should contact the Wadesboro Police Department at 704-694-2167 or the State Bureau of Investigation at 919-662-4500.