Man faces attempted murder charge; 2 shot at Sanford Christmas parade

Police said Sean Dimitrius Matthews, 18, of Sanford, was in critical condition at UNC Hospitals with gunshot wounds to his stomach, arms and leg. Jadakis Tysor, 16, of Sanford, was hit in the arm by a bullet and was treated and released.

Sgt. Vincent Frazer with the Sanford Police Department said officers chased and caught Deion Jamille Johns, 20, of 1508 Westover Drive. Police believe Johns shot both men, and they charged him with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, discharging a firearm within city limits, possession of a weapon at a parade and going armed to the terror of the people.

Johns was jailed under a $360,000 secured bond.

Many witnesses said that, at the time of the incident, a motorcycle caravan was going by in the parade and revving their engines, so bystanders did not immediately realize what had happened because of the noise.

Abdo Alwahishi, the owner of the Rite Stop Shop convenience store near the intersection of Wicker Street and Gulf Street, said he was outside telling a group of men blocking his door to move to another location when he heard shots ring out. He believed the incident occurred in the parking lot in front of his store.

"I heard about seven or eight gunshots. I was standing at the door and as soon as I came in the store, before I even hit the counter, that's when I heard the gunshots," he said.

Police have taken surveillance video from the Rite Stop Shop as part of their investigation, Alwahishi said.