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Northampton commissioner recounts overnight shooting at her Seaboard home; board discusses countywide safety response
Summary
Commissioner Broadnax Taylor told the board she and her son were frightened by gunfire that struck her home in Seaboard overnight; sheriff’s deputies responded rapidly. Commissioners called for a countywide discussion on public safety and suggested an emergency meeting to coordinate town and county responses.
Commissioner Broadnax Taylor told the Northampton County Board of Commissioners that gunfire struck her home in Seaboard overnight and described an immediate, frightening scene that prompted her to call for more county action on public safety.
Taylor said she heard “a round of explosions” and that a bullet struck a glass on her nightstand; she and her son were shaken but not physically injured. She said sheriff's deputies arrived within minutes. “I called sheriff Jack Smith, and I said, ‘there's been a shooting in my house, and I need some help,’” Taylor told the board.
Taylor said investigators recovered shell casings in and around her property and that the violence in Seaboard and nearby Gaston has left residents fearful. Her account moved other commissioners to express concern and to propose larger, county‑wide coordination. One commissioner urged the county manager to convene an emergency meeting of township leaders to discuss public safety and potential actions.
Chair Martin and other board members thanked Taylor, expressed sympathy and praised the sheriff’s quick response. The board did not take a formal vote on a new funding measure at the meeting; members discussed asking municipal leaders, the sheriff and county staff to meet and report back with options.
Next steps: commissioners indicated they would explore convening an emergency safety meeting with town leadership and law enforcement; staff follow-up was requested.
