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23 Brazy sentencing, mother devastated after mall shooting, boat strike pushback: Sunrise Brief

A breakdown of today's top stories, weather, traffic and what we're talking about on News 3 This Morning.

City of Franklin Police/WTKR/AP

By: News 3 This Morning team

Posted

TOP STORIES: 23 Brazy sentencing, mother devastated after mall shooting, boat strike pushback

Tashawnda Drayton, who goes by the alias 23 Brazy, will be sentenced on Tuesday — the rapper pleaded guilty second-degree murder in the shooting death of a 10-year-old boy in 2023, according to the Southampton County circuit court clerk.
Drayton was on the run for months after La'Marj Holden was shot and killed on Aug. 9, 2023. Four people, including Drayton, showed up at a man's house in the 300 block of Artis Street, according to Franklin police. Officials say there was an argument between the man and Drayton, ending with Drayton shooting him. Both the man and La'Marj were taken to the hospital, according to police — the man was treated and released, but La'Marj died from his injuries in the hospital.
Drayton was arrested in June 2024 after a months-long manhunt in the 32000 block of Brookside Drive at Brookside Square Apartments in Boykins — a town in Southampton County about 20 miles outside of Franklin. The U.S. Marshals Service told News 3 that a relative was hiding her. Drayton was originally charged with first-degree murder in La'Marj's death.
A deadly shooting inside Patrick Henry Mall on Black Friday weekend has left a local single mother devastated as she tries to make sense of the unimaginable loss of her son.

Suspect in deadly Patrick Henry Mall shooting charged with murder

26-year-old Gary Carlton Moore III is charged with second-degree murder and multiple firearm-related offenses. He's accused of shooting 26-year-old Diamante Tre'von Neal. A criminal complaint says when officers arrived at the mall around 10:50 a.m. Saturday, they found Neal lying on the floor inside a clothing store — he died later at the hospital.
Moore claimed he acted in self-defense, according to court documents obtained by News 3; however, investigators say surveillance video shows the suspect disarming the man before shooting him multiple times.
Neal's mother, Courtney Brown, spoke with News 3's Kelsey Jones in an exclusive interview on Monday. She told News 3 that Moore and Neal had known each other since childhood, and she believes there was lingering animosity between the two.
“You can’t act in self-defense that was pre-meditated," Brown said.
The White House confirmed there was a second strike on a boat it alleges was trafficking narcotics in international waters back in September and is defending the decision.

White House backs Hegseth amid report of second strike on alleged drug boat

The comment follows a Washington Post report alleging that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered forces to kill everyone on the boats, leading to a second strike that killed survivors of the initial attack. The White House says the order for the specific strike in September came from Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, not directly from Hegseth. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt maintained that the admiral acted within his authority and that the follow-up strike was lawful.
Lawmakers have questioned the second strike, concerned it could violate international law. The Senate and House Armed Services committees have both released statements saying they will probe the boat strike.

This morning's weather: Steady to heavy rain moving in, temperatures around 50

Meteorologist Tony Nargi says this morning rain will move in before sunrise, with light rain becoming steady to heavy rain at times between 8 am to 11 am.

After lunchtime steady rain will turn to showers, with clearing expected to begin around sunset. High temperatures will reach the low to mid 50s, with winds out of the E at 5-10 mph, turning out of the NW at 10-15 mph. Temperatures will drop into the 40s quickly as winds turn from E to NW this afternoon. Rainfall will total between 1 to 1.5 inches, with locally heavier amounts possible on the Outer Banks. Overnight skies will clear with temperatures dropping into the 30s.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny and chilly, with highs in the mid 40s. Winds will be out of the NW at 5-15 mph.

For the latest weather updates, watch Myles live on News 3 This Morning here.