Wake County Man, 72, Charged With Murder After Knightdale Shooting

Ronald Keith Grizzel, 72, was charged with murder Friday after Wake County deputies say he fatally shot Jessica Wells, 43, inside a home at a Broken Arrow Court mobile home community near Knightdale, leaving family and neighbors mourning a woman remembered as a mother.

Deputies were called to the 1200 block of Broken Arrow Court around 12:30 a.m. Thursday and found Wells with an apparent gunshot wound. She was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died. The neighborhood sits just off Poole Road, about a mile east of the Neuse River.

The Wake County Sheriff's Office arrested Grizzel and charged him with murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. Investigators confirmed that Grizzel and Wells knew each other, though the sheriff's office did not publicly detail the nature of their relationship in its Friday announcement. Grizzel was also transported to the hospital Friday morning for non-life-threatening injuries unrelated to his apprehension.

The investigation remained active through the weekend, with deputies interviewing witnesses and working to establish motive and the full sequence of events. The sheriff's office asked anyone in the Broken Arrow Court area with information or video footage to contact investigators.

Cases in which a suspect and victim are known to each other are frequently reviewed for domestic or relationship violence elements. Wake County's InterAct, the county's only comprehensive domestic violence service provider, operates a 24-hour crisis line at (919) 828-7740 for anyone in an unsafe situation or experiencing warning signs of relationship violence. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is also available at (800) 799-7233.

Wake County prosecutors will determine whether additional charges are warranted as investigators gather and corroborate evidence from the scene. The sheriff's office has committed to releasing further details as the case advances through the courts.