Dulles CBP officers capture fleeing minor suspected of murdering 68-year-old Gastonia, N.C. woman

STERLING, Va. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers apprehended a 16-year-old boy at Washington Dulles International Airport on Oct. 23 before he could flee to Ethiopia and avoid being charged in a Gastonia, North Carolina murder.

The subject was one of two juveniles accused of murder in the death of 68-year-old Gastonia woman Pamela Shanks on Oct. 19. The subject is facing a slew of felony charges, including homicide - willful kill-gun, first degree murder, discharge of a weapon into and occupied property, and possession of a handgun by a minor.

CBP officers identified the juvenile as a subject of a Gastonia Police Department warrant in the National Crime Information Center while conducting routine vetting of passengers departing on international flights. NCIC is a centralized automated database designed to share information among law enforcement agencies including outstanding warrants for a wide range of offenses.

CBP officers apprehended the subject before he could board his scheduled departure flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. CBP officers verified the warrant and confirmed that Gastonia Police intended to extradite the subject. Officers also contacted the minor's parents to advise them of his capture.

Officers turned the subject over to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police officers.

"Customs and Border Protection officers are committed to working with our federal, state and local partners to identify dangerous fugitives who attempt to flee their charges and return them to face justice. This is one way in which CBP helps to keep our communities safe while also giving victims a voice," said Area Port Director Christine Waugh, CBP Area Port of Washington, D.C.

Criminal charges are merely accusations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

CBP's border security mission is led at our nation's Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation's safety and economic vitality.

Learn more at www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP's Baltimore Field Office on X @DFOBaltimore and CBP's Office of Field Operations on Instagram @cbpfieldops.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 70,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air and on the seas. We enforce safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration and trust.

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