AHOSKIE – One individual is detained and being questioned by the Ahoskie Police following a fatal shooting that occurred here early Friday morning.

Ahoskie Police Chief Troy Fitzhugh said the suspect, Cola Harrell, had yet to be formally charged as of late Friday afternoon.

The victim is Dwight Saunders, who is believed to be in his early 30’s. Saunders, who was found lying on the edge of Church Street (the 300 block near the rear of the Southern Bank property) died at the scene of the shooting.

“The initial call that came in to us was there was a person in the roadway who was unresponsive,” Fitzhugh said.

Ahoskie Police and Hertford County EMS rushed to the scene at around 8:30 a.m.

EMS personnel were seen working feverishly on Saunders in an effort to revive him. After 15-to-20 minutes of work, a sheet was placed over the victim while Ahoskie Police were seen cordoning off the area with crime scene tape.

That portion of Church Street (between Lloyd Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) remained closed to traffic as police investigators worked the crime scene.

One nearby residence also had crime scene tape in the front yard. Fitzhugh said his officers noticed something suspicious there and a search warrant for that residence was obtained Friday afternoon.

Fitzhugh said he was hoping that evidence collected from that residence will greatly benefit the investigation.

The fatal shooting was the second in exactly two weeks in Ahoskie. Reco Larone Lewis, age 29, was shot multiple times on June 23 in front of Apartment #9 at Kennedy Court, located near the Parker Ave. Apartments.

No arrests have been made in that murder.

When asked if Friday’s deadly shooting was linked to the June 23 incident, Fitzhugh replied, “There is no evidence at this time to link these two crimes together.”

In Friday’s deadly shooting, the Ahoskie Police and Hertford County EMS were assisted by the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office, Hertford County Emergency Management, and the Ahoskie Fire Department.