14-year-old was found shot to death in NC ditch. Now, 19-year-old charged with murder

A 14-year-old boy known for making people smile was found shot to death in a North Carolina ditch, news outlets reported.

“He won’t be able to ever go to prom,” Crystal Harris, mother of deceased teenager Bernard Williams, told WRAL. “I’ll never see him get married or have his first child.”

Now, a 19-year-old is charged with murder in Bernard’s death. News outlets didn’t list attorney information for the man, identified as Rasheem Battle of Wilson.

The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office said it was called at about 9:15 a.m. on Sunday, March 26. Bernard was found dead near the intersection of Landfill Road and U.S. Highway 264 Alternate, according to The Wilson Times.

The sheriff’s office reportedly investigated the case as a homicide and determined that the teen had been killed in the area where his body was found. On March 27, Battle was taken into custody.

Battle was “charged with first-degree murder,” and deputies said items “related to the crime” were found at his home, according to ABC11, The News & Observer’s media partner.

Bernard, also known as “Tankman,” is remembered in news reports as a Daniels Learning Center student who easily made friends.

“Tankman always kept a smile on his face, he always made other people smile and I am going to miss that smile,” the teen’s cousin, JuJu Williams, told WNCN.

Officials in Wilson County, roughly 50 miles east of Raleigh, ask that anyone with information about the case call them at 252-237-2118.

The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ requests for additional information on March 29.

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