GOLDSBORO, NC – A Goldsboro woman is in custody following a reported domestic shooting incident that prompted a large law enforcement response in eastern Wayne County.
According to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a reported shooting on January 29, 2026. Upon arrival, deputies located the victim, Lavodio Washington, who reported that his fiancée, Whitney Shontai Cherry, had shot him in his lower body.
Washington told deputies he was able to escape the residence and believed Cherry remained inside the home. Due to the nature of the incident, additional Wayne County Sheriff’s Office deputies, detectives, and SWAT personnel were called to the scene.
Hostage negotiators with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office were able to make contact with Cherry and successfully persuaded her to exit the residence. She was taken into custody without incident.
Following an investigation, Whitney Shontai Cherry, 37, of South Harding Drive in Goldsboro, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, resist, delay or obstruct, order for arrest (DWI), and misdemeanor probation violation. Cherry is being held without bond.
Sheriff’s Office officials noted this marks the second incident in two days in which the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Hostage Negotiating Team successfully secured the surrender of an armed suspect without further injury or escalation.
