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Lillington, Harnett County

Lillington: Woman killed after birthday-party shooting, sheriff's office says

WRAL, CBS 17 and ABC11, citing deputies, name Justina Hodges, 40, of Lillington. A written sheriff page of our own is still missing.

UpdatedThis story has changed since it was first published.

By Alexandru Stanciu · Published

What we know

Confirmed

  • WRAL, CBS 17 and ABC11 independently wrote that Harnett County sheriff's deputies were called early Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, to a shooting on Murchison Lane near Lillington.Confirmed by WRAL (datePublished 2026-11-01T18:56:58+00:00 / 1:56 p.m. ET; dateModified 20:51:07 UTC / 3:51 p.m. ET); CBS 17, citing a Harnett County Sheriff's Office news release (posted 2:05:51 p.m. ET; modified 2:08:43 p.m. ET); ABC11 (datePublished 2026-11-01T19:35:00.000Z / 2:35 p.m. ET; dateModified 21:24:38 UTC / 4:24 p.m. ET)
  • All three newsrooms wrote that deputies found a 40-year-old Lillington woman inside the home with a gunshot wound, that bystanders were giving first aid, that Harnett County EMS continued life-saving work, and that she died at the scene.Confirmed by WRAL; CBS 17, citing deputies / a sheriff news release; ABC11, citing deputies
  • WRAL named her Justina Hodges of Lillington. CBS 17 and ABC11 independently used Justina Nichole Hodges.Confirmed by WRAL; CBS 17, citing deputies; ABC11, citing deputies
  • All three wrote that deputies had been to the same address earlier, around 1:15 a.m., for a loud-music or noise complaint and had spoken with people there.Confirmed by WRAL; CBS 17, citing officials; ABC11, citing deputies
  • WRAL wrote that the later shooting call came around 4 a.m. CBS 17, citing a sheriff news release, and ABC11 both wrote just before 4 a.m.Confirmed by WRAL; CBS 17, citing a Harnett County Sheriff's Office news release; ABC11
  • CBS 17 quoted Sheriff Wayne Coats from that release: a preliminary investigation indicates a birthday party with 20 or more people was underway, a physical altercation broke out inside among several attendees, and Hodges was shot during it.Confirmed by Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats, as reported by CBS 17 only
  • WRAL, without naming Coats, wrote that deputies say there was a party with 20 or more people and they believe a fight broke out and Hodges was shot.Confirmed by WRAL only
  • ABC11 independently wrote that deputies said Hodges was shot when a physical altercation broke out among several attendees of a birthday at the house, and that officers say at least 20 or more people were at the home.Confirmed by ABC11 only, citing deputies
  • CBS 17, citing the release, placed the home at 20 Murchison Lane off Shawtown Road just south of Lillington. We are not printing the house number.Confirmed by Harnett County Sheriff's Office news release, as reported by CBS 17 only
  • CBS 17 wrote that about 30 minutes after the shooting, deputies said Hodges was pronounced dead at the home. ABC11 independently wrote that she was pronounced dead at the scene just after 4:30 a.m.Confirmed by CBS 17, citing deputies; ABC11, citing deputies
  • WRAL and CBS 17 both wrote that no suspect was named. CBS 17 added that the release did not mention a suspect and that deputies said the investigation is still underway. ABC11 wrote that the investigation is ongoing.Confirmed by WRAL; CBS 17, citing the release and deputies; ABC11
  • WRAL, CBS 17 and ABC11 all printed the Harnett County tip line, 910-893-0300. CBS 17 and ABC11 also printed the Detective Division number, 910-893-0140. CBS 17 alone added the P3Tips app or website for anonymous tips.Confirmed by WRAL; CBS 17, citing the sheriff's office; ABC11

Alleged or reported

  • Hodges was shot during a fight or physical altercation among people at a birthday party of 20 or more.Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats, as reported by CBS 17; deputies, as reported by WRAL and ABC11

Still unknown

  • Who fired the shot, and whether anyone has been arrested
  • A written Harnett County Sheriff's Office release on a sheriff page of our own
  • How the earlier noise call and the later shooting line up minute by minute. CBS 17 printed "just after 1:15 a.m." and "just before 4 a.m." WRAL used about 1:15 a.m. and about 4 a.m. ABC11 used about 1:15 a.m., just before 4 a.m., and just after 4:30 a.m. for the death pronouncement.
  • Whether anyone else was hurt

What this means for you

Public safety
Officials have not named a suspect. This story is not an official or emergency notice. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Instructions from Harnett County Sheriff's Office, as reported by WRAL, CBS 17 and ABC11

This site is not the Harnett County Sheriff's Office. For the case, use the sheriff's office. Tips can go to the Harnett County tip line at 910-893-0300. CBS 17 and ABC11 also printed the Detective Division at 910-893-0140. This is not an emergency service. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Harnett County, WRAL, CBS 17, and ABC11 independently wrote Sunday that sheriff's deputies found a 40-year-old Lillington woman shot inside a home on Murchison Lane.

Those later pages name Justina Hodges. CBS 17 and ABC11 used Justina Nichole Hodges. All three wrote that bystanders were already giving aid, that county medics kept working, and that she died there.

WRAL timed that later call around 4 a.m. The other two newsrooms, with CBS 17 citing a sheriff news release, printed just before that hour.

The earlier call

Around 1:15 a.m., all three wrote, deputies had already been to the same address for loud music, or a noise complaint, and had spoken with people inside.

CBS 17 printed a just-after-1:15 stamp for that stop.

What only CBS 17, citing the release, adds

Sheriff Wayne Coats, in the quotation on that page, called it a preliminary finding: a birthday gathering of 20 or more, a fight inside among several people there, and Hodges shot during it. The station placed the house just south of Lillington, off Shawtown Road. About 30 minutes after the shooting, that file said, she was pronounced dead. The release, as carried there, named no suspect.

What only ABC11 adds

A death pronouncement just after 4:30 a.m. The station also wrote that deputies tied the shooting to a physical fight among people at a birthday in the house, and that officers put at least 20 people there.

What only WRAL adds

Deputies, on that page, "believe a fight broke out." The short Hodges name, without Nichole. A noise-complaint wording for the earlier stop.

Related coverage

What we don't know yet

Who fired. Whether anyone else was hurt. A sheriff write-up on an agency page of our own. The three clocks on the earlier stop and the later call are close, not identical.

Timeline

  • About 1:15 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026: WRAL and ABC11 time the noise stop. CBS 17 prints just after 1:15 a.m.
  • About 4 a.m., or just before: The later call. WRAL uses about 4 a.m. CBS 17 and ABC11 use just before 4 a.m.
  • About 30 minutes later, on CBS 17: Hodges pronounced dead. ABC11 prints a just-after-4:30 clock.
  • 1:56 p.m.; changed 3:51 p.m. ET: WRAL's file.
  • 2:05 p.m.; changed 2:08 p.m.: CBS 17's account of the release.
  • 2:35 p.m.; changed 4:24 p.m.: ABC11's file.

What happens next

We will add a name or a charge if the sheriff's office posts one. Anyone who was at the gathering is asked, on those pages, to call the tip line at 910-893-0300. Triangle Local is not the sheriff's office. This is not an emergency notice. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

Photos

Text-only. No WRAL, CBS 17, ABC11, or sheriff photos are used here.

Why it matters

A Sunday-morning shooting on Murchison Lane near Lillington left a woman dead. Neighbors need the name deputies have released, the earlier noise call, and that no suspect has been named.

Updates

  1. Nov 1, 2026, 5:55 PM

    WRAL, CBS 17 and ABC11, citing deputies, name Justina Hodges, 40, of Lillington after a Sunday-morning shooting on Murchison Lane. A written sheriff page of our own is still missing.

Sources

  1. Woman dead from house party shooting on Halloween in Lillington (WRAL staff, datePublished 2026-11-01T18:56:58+00:00 / 1:56 p.m. ET; dateModified 2026-11-01T20:51:07+00:00 / 3:51 p.m. ET; page display 6:56:58 p.m.: around 1:15 a.m. deputies responded to a home on Murchison Lane for a noise complaint and spoke with people inside; around 4 a.m. they went back for a shooting call; 40-year-old Justina Hodges of Lillington found inside with a gunshot wound; bystanders trying to save her life; Harnett County EMS continued life-saving measures; she died at the scene; deputies say a party with 20 or more people and they believe a fight broke out and Hodges was shot; no suspect identified; tip line (910) 893-0300. Did not print a middle name, Shawtown Road, a house number, a 4:30 a.m. pronouncement, Sheriff Wayne Coats, the Detective Division number, or P3Tips. Text-only; no WRAL or sheriff photos used.)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Nov 1, 2026, 5:55 PM

  2. Woman shot dead in Harnett County home after fight at birthday party near Lillington spurs gunfire (CBS 17 / WNCN, posted Nov. 1, 2026, 2:05:51 p.m. ET, date_gmt 19:05:51; last_modified 2:08:43 p.m. ET; LILLINGTON dateline: a woman was shot and killed at home just outside Lillington when a fight broke out during a birthday party early Sunday, Harnett County officials said; shooting reported just before 4 a.m. inside a home at 20 Murchison Lane off Shawtown Road just south of Lillington, according to a Harnett County Sheriff's Office news release; deputies found a 40-year-old woman with a gunshot wound; bystanders actively administering first aid; EMS life-saving measures; about 30 minutes after the shooting, Justina Nichole Hodges of Lillington pronounced dead at the home; just after 1:15 a.m. loud-music complaint at the same address; Sheriff Wayne Coats preliminary-investigation quotation of a birthday party with 20 or more, a physical altercation, and Hodges being shot; no suspect in the release; investigation still underway; anyone at the party asked to contact law enforcement immediately; tip line 910-893-0300; Detective Division 910-893-0140; P3Tips for anonymous tips. We do not print the house number. Read via the station's public WordPress JSON because the HTML page returned 403 here. Did not print WRAL's 'noise complaint' wording or ABC11's just-after-4:30 a.m. clock. Text-only; no CBS 17 photos used.)

    Official sourcePublished by Harnett County Sheriff's Office, via CBS 17 · Checked Nov 1, 2026, 5:55 PM

  3. Woman killed during fight at birthday party, hours after deputies respond to loud music complaint (ABC11 / WTVD, datePublished 2026-11-01T19:35:00.000Z / 2:35 p.m. ET; dateModified 2026-11-01T21:24:38.000Z / 4:24 p.m. ET; HARNETT COUNTY dateline: Sheriff's Office conducting a death investigation Sunday morning at a house in Lillington; just before 4 a.m. deputies called to a reported shooting on Murchison Lane; 40-year-old Justina Nichole Hodges found inside with a gunshot wound; deputies said she was shot when a physical altercation broke out among several attendees of a birthday at the house; people on scene actively administering first aid; Harnett County EMS life-saving measures unsuccessful; pronounced dead at the scene just after 4:30 a.m.; around 1:15 a.m. same address for a loud music complaint; officers say at least 20 or more people at the home; investigation ongoing; tip line (910)-893-0300; Detective Division (910)-893-0140. Did not print Shawtown Road, a house number, a Coats quotation, P3Tips, or CBS 17's 30-minute wording. Text-only; no ABC11 photos used.)

    Published by ABC11 (WTVD) · Checked Nov 1, 2026, 5:55 PM

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