Mother of Goldsboro teen killed concerned about violence in the city

WRAL News on Friday spoke with the mother of a Goldsboro teenager who was killed more than a month ago as the city’s mayor warns about a rise in homicides around the city.

On Aug. 10 before 3 a.m., officers with the Goldsboro Police Department responded to an alert from the ShotSpotter gunfire detection system of multiple rounds fired in the 800 block of North Audubon Ave.

When they arrived, officers found a 15-year-old girl, later identified as Amaya McFail who had been shot. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Amaya’s mother, Gloria McFail, said she and her family, along with Amaya, moved to Missouri five years earlier. Gloria was in Missouri when she learned her daughter was killed.

“Since I got the phone call, I haven’t felt anything. When I do, it’s just rage and anger,” she said. “So I decided not to feel … It still doesn’t feel real honestly.”

Gloria McFail said Amaya moved back to Goldsboro a year ago.

“Allowing her to come back down here is one of the biggest mistakes of my life,” she said. “I know why I left here. This place has been the same since before I was born. It’s just not the place to be raising families.”

On Friday, authorities charged Quamaree Sayonta Davis, 20, with murder. Davis is being held in the Wilson County Detention Center under no bond. A court appearance was scheduled for Monday

According to police, the investigation is ongoing, and additional arrests are possible.

Goldsboro residents concerned about rise in homicides

On Thursday, Goldsboro officials told WRAL News they are concerned with the rise in homicides since 2021. In the first nine months of 2023, there were seven homicides in the city. This year, there have been 12 in the same time frame.

“We don’t want to have another summer like this. We have got to say this is the ceiling,” Goldsboro Mayor Charles Gaylor said.

McFail, who was raised in Wayne County, said violence has been common in the city since she was last here.

“We’ve always been taught [that] bullets have no names, and that is just one of those things you can’t predict who is going to end up walking around [and] who is not,” she said.

Rodney Robinson, a community activist in Goldsboro, said one way to help with the violence is ot provide more avenues to keep children engaged and off the street.

“We have to keep the youth safe,” he said. “We have to bring in more programs, more workshops and more positive outlets for the community.”

New initiatives include increased community policing, the use of technology in high-crime areas, and increased educational programs for children in the Wayne County School.

Gaylor said one of his biggest focuses moving forward is making sure Goldsboro has resources for its community members.

“You’ve got to have a quality of a community that gives people an incentive to not want to fall into something that’s going to put them behind bars,” he said.

McFail said she wants to see the city doing more to protect children and teens from violent crime in the city.

“Our children … they are our futures. These are our future doctors, lawyers, you name it,” she said. “These children? They’re not graduating. They’re not leaving legacies. THat is how you ruin and end communities. If somebody doesn’t do something, we’re doomed.”

Amaya’s family started a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses.

WRAL eastern North Carolina reporter Heidi Kirk contributed to this report