Sanford police investigate two overnight shootings, one man dead

Gunfire erupted twice along Historic Goldsboro Boulevard in Sanford before dawn Sunday, leaving one man dead, another person hospitalized and investigators trying to determine whether the two shootings were tied to each other. Sanford police said the calls came within minutes of each other in a stretch of road that runs through a prominent public-safety corridor in Historic Goldsboro.

Officers first responded around 3:20 a.m. to a shooting near Historic Goldsboro Boulevard and Mangoustine Avenue, where they found a victim suffering from a gunshot wound. That person was taken to a local hospital. Police did not immediately release the victim’s identity or say how serious the injuries were.

Shortly afterward, officers were sent to a second shooting near Historic Goldsboro Boulevard and Pomegranate Avenue. There, investigators found a deceased man later identified as 32-year-old Deion Fields. Police also located a person of interest in the area who had a firearm. That person was taken to a hospital for mental-health treatment.

Detectives have not said what led to either shooting or whether the incidents involved the same people. For now, Sanford police say the cases appear isolated and that there is no immediate threat to the public. Even so, the back-to-back calls raised obvious concern in a neighborhood where Historic Goldsboro Boulevard serves as both a residential artery and a public-facing civic corridor.

The location adds to the significance of the investigation. The Sanford Police Department records unit sits at 815 Historic Goldsboro Blvd., and city records show Sanford built a new Public Safety Complex on Historic Goldsboro Boulevard in 2010. The Goldsboro Westside Community Historical Association also received a $500,000 grant to design and construct a museum in Historic Goldsboro at 1211 Historic Goldsboro Boulevard, underscoring how closely the street is tied to the city’s civic identity.

Police asked witnesses to come forward and direct tips to Crimeline, where callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for rewards of up to $5,000. Investigators still have not publicly named any suspect in the case, and the questions that matter most remain unanswered: whether the shootings were connected, what prompted the violence and whether anyone else could still face charges.