12-year-old shot to death in crowded apartment in Clayton
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- Clayton police found a 12-year-old shot to death in an apartment.
- Officers reported 20–30 people in the unit; some were hiding weapons when one went off.
- Ty’ryn Washington, 20, fled; charged with manslaughter, police seek tips to locate him.
A 12-year-old child was shot to death in an apartment in Clayton Friday evening, police said Saturday.
The Clayton Police Department said officers were responding to a report of a “disturbance with weapons” in the 300 block of Commodore Street. While they were at that scene, they noticed several people running from an apartment building in the 400 block, with someone yelling that there had been a shooting.
When the officers went to the apartment in the 400 block of Commodore, they found the 12-year-old, who had suffered a gunshot wound. Johnston County EMS tried to save the child, but could not.
Police said 20 to 30 people were in the apartment at the time of the shooting. They said it appeared that some of the people in the apartment were attempting to hide weapons — apparently in response to the police presence in the next block. One of the weapons discharged, they said, striking the 12-year-old.
Police have not released the child’s name.
Investigators determined that Ty’ryn Anthony Zah’rel Washington, 20, of Kenly, North Carolina, was holding the weapon when it went off. Washington, who fled before police arrived, has been charged with manslaughter. His whereabouts are unknown.
Clayton police asked anyone with information about the shooting or about Washington’s location to contact them at 919-553-4611 or the Johnston County 911 non-emergency number at 919-934-9411.
This story was originally published November 29, 2025 at 3:05 PM.
