STOKESDALE, N.C. — BREAKING: Guilford County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday they arrested John Austin Cain, 18, and charged him with first-degree murder. He is currently being held without bond.
Neighbors have lots of questions after a man was murdered along their street on the evening of Mother's Day.
The Guilford County Sheriff's Office said they went out to the shooting call around 5:04 p.m. Sunday to a home off of Eversfield Road in Stokesdale.
When deputies got there, they found 38-year-old Troy Surface shot multiple times. Surface was pronounced dead at the scene.
The next-door neighbor recalled being outside around 5:00 p.m. Sunday night. He said he didn't hear any gunshots.
Another neighbor, Brielle Lawson, and her family live nearby. She was coming home from visiting her grandparents when she noticed deputies and traffic on their rural road.
"I didn't want to go down there because you never know what's going on. So, last night I heard and then I came out and started talking to my neighbors and they said that they thought that maybe something had happened and there was a sheet in the yard over somebody potentially, they put somebody on a stretcher. So, to be honest I didn't really know until the sheriff's department actually said it was a homicide it was just people piecing things together," recalled Lawson.
Neighbors said the area is usually crime-free. The shock of it all is now leaving them with many questions.
"I feel so terrible for the family especially on the holiday. It's got you thinking a little bit more about your safety again talking to people that you love, but unfortunately things go back to normal pretty quickly, so hopefully they get it all sorted out and taken care of and we can go back to normal life," said Lawson.
Deputies were at the scene overnight Sunday and for most of Monday. They were using K-9s, metal detectors, and a drone to look for evidence.
The sheriff's office said this was an isolated incident, but the suspect has not been arrested.