19-year-old killed while shielding boy from knife-wielding man, NC sheriff says

A teenager sacrificed his life to save a boy during a Thanksgiving Day knife attack, according to investigators in eastern North Carolina.

The fatal stabbing happened at a rural home near Vanceboro, and a suspect has been arrested, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office said in a Nov. 28 news release.

“Evidence on scene confirmed a physical altercation occurred at the residence between William Edward Gaskins III ... a female, and a male juvenile. The female and juvenile both sustained injuries during the altercation,” the sheriff’s office said.

“A friend of the juvenile, Damien Tompkins, 19, of Chocowinity, N.C., attempted to intervene during the altercation and was stabbed by William Gaskins. ... Tompkins died at the residence.”

A fundraiser set up to cover funeral expenses calls Tompkins a “hero.”

“His best friend was about to get stabbed, and he jumped in front of the knife, and it cost him his life. He was always doing the right thing and trying to be the hero,” the GoFundMe campaign reports.

Gaskins, 55, has been charged with murder, the sheriff’s office says. He is being held without bond. Court records show he lives at the home where the stabbing occurred.

The sheriff’s office did not release details of a motive in the dispute.

Vanceboro is about a 110-mile drive southeast from Raleigh.

This story was originally published December 1, 2025 at 9:22 AM.