Wake Forest Ex-Public Works Director Named Suspect in Sunday Shooting

A woman who until recently held one of Wake Forest's most senior infrastructure posts is now facing felony charges after shooting her uncle at a home along the 9300 block of Perini Court Sunday afternoon, confronting the town with uncomfortable questions about a high-ranking former employee at the center of a violent incident.

Magda Holloway, identified by officials as the town's former director of public works, barricaded herself inside the home when officers arrived and initially refused to come out before eventually surrendering and being taken into custody. Responding officers found a man outside the residence with a gunshot wound to the foot; he refused to be taken to a hospital. Authorities identified Holloway as the niece of the victim.

Holloway, 48, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, resisting, delaying or obstructing an officer, and discharging a firearm within city limits.

What led up to the shooting remains unclear. The town has not publicly confirmed when Holloway's employment ended, whether any prior disciplinary record exists, or what access, if any, she retained to town facilities or systems before the incident. Those details carry weight: as public works director, Holloway oversaw the department responsible for Wake Forest's streets, solid waste, urban forestry, and fleet maintenance operations, with staff headquartered at the Public Works Operations Center on Friendship Chapel Road.

The arrest puts the town in a position it has not addressed publicly as of Sunday evening: what its offboarding protocols require of departing department heads, and whether those procedures were followed. Questions about credential revocation, key card access, and any ongoing contractual relationship with Holloway had not been answered by town officials by the time of publication.

The shooting unfolded in a residential neighborhood near Ligon Mill Road, a stretch of northwestern Wake Forest that has grown rapidly over the past decade. No additional injuries were reported. The Wake Forest Police Department's investigation is ongoing.