Teen Charged With Murder After Fatal Stabbing at Jacksonville Gathering

Shakim Zion Bullock, 19, was arrested at the scene and charged with murder after Barry Keith Cooper, 47, was fatally stabbed during a Friday afternoon gathering at a residence on Maynard Boulevard in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The attack sent Cooper to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, and he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Onslow County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a 911 call at approximately 12:18 p.m. on April 3, 2026, and found Bullock at 623 Maynard Blvd, where he was detained without further incident. Investigators interviewed witnesses who were present at the gathering and collected physical evidence that the OCSO says linked Bullock directly to the fatal assault.

Prosecutors charged Bullock with an open count of murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. The dual charges signal that prosecutors view the stabbing as intentional. Under North Carolina law, an open count of murder leaves the degree, first or second, to be determined at trial based on the totality of evidence. First-degree murder is a Class A felony carrying either life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Second-degree murder, applicable when reckless disregard for human life causes death, is a Class B1 felony with a minimum sentence of 192 months under the state's structured sentencing guidelines.

Bullock was booked without bond, meaning a judge determined he posed sufficient risk to remain in custody. His first court appearance is scheduled for Monday, April 6, 2026, where a judge will formally address the charges, bond status, and detention. The probable-cause phase and discovery exchange would follow as the case moves toward either a plea or trial.

Whether the stabbing was targeted or the product of a dispute that escalated at the gathering remains part of the active investigation; the OCSO has not released details about what preceded the attack. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Onslow County Sheriff's Office at 910-455-3113 or Onslow Crime Stoppers at 910-938-3273.

Jacksonville sits in Onslow County, home to Camp Lejeune, one of the largest Marine Corps installations in the country. The city of roughly 107,890 residents carries an overall crime rate of 10.32 per 1,000 people, a fraction of the national average of 33.37 per 1,000, and has seen a broad decline in violent crime over the past five years. Friday's killing is one of only two homicides recorded in Jacksonville in the most recent year of available data, a stark number in a city that typically earns a B+ safety grade.

At 19, Bullock is legally an adult in North Carolina and subject to full adult sentencing. The investigation remains ongoing.