Dejywan Floyd is the suspect accused of gunning down Julie Eberly, a Pennsylvania mother of six who was killed on her way to a beach vacation with her husband in a random road rage incident in Lumberton, North Carolina, according to the Robeson County Sheriff’s Department.
“The murder occurred on Thursday March 25, 2021 around 11:40 a.m. on I95 South, Lumberton NC near Exit 22,” the Robeson County Sheriff’s Department wrote in a news release.
Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said in a release, “This was an innocent family from Pennsylvania headed to the beach for a vacation. Thankfully they had left their six children at home with grandparents but now these kids have to live with the thought of their mother being murdered on in such a cowardly and senseless way. My heart goes out to this family and I ask that everyone reading this stop and pray for this entire family.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Floyd Was Arrested at a Lumberton Apartment Complex
PoliceA photo released by police after Floyd’s arrest
According to a news release from the Sheriff’s Department, on Thursday, April 01, 2021 at approximately 12:38 a.m., Dejywan R. Floyd, 29, of Lumberton, NC “was arrested in Parkview Apartments in Lumberton, NC.”
Floyd is charged with first Degree Murder and Discharging a Weapon into an Occupied Property. The charges are in relation to the death of Julie Eberly, 47, of Manheim, Pennsylvania, the department confirmed.
Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said: “The arrest of Floyd is the direct result of law enforcement agencies and the community working together. The surveillance footage provided to investigators by dozens of cooperating businesses and residents were critical elements in the tracking of Floyd’s path in Cumberland County prior to the shooting and throughout Lumberton and beyond after the shooting. Regardless of the circumstances, no one deserved to be murdered while traveling our nation’s highways. I am proud of the investigative work put forth by the law enforcement agencies that came together as one to bring this case to a successful conclusion.”
An anonymous donor in North Carolina put up 10,000 for reward for info leading to arrest in Julie Eberly road rage deadly shooting. Authorities looking for light colored Chevy. Julie and Ryan were on I95 heading to Hilton Head for anniversary
@WGAL #justiceforJulie
Floyd “was processed and placed in the custody of the Robeson County Detention Center without bond with a first appearance hearing scheduled for Thursday morning,” the release says.
Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to call the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at 910-671-3170 or email sheriff@robesoncoso.org
“Under our system of justice, every person is presumed to be innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. The information contained in this post is not intended to be an expression of opinion regarding guilt. The views and opinions expressed by private citizens who may comment on this post are not adopted by and do not reflect the official policy or position of this law enforcement agency,” the sheriff said.
2. The Sheriff’s Department Says Eberly Was Shot Through the Passenger Door
UPDATE: A Lancaster County woman is dead after a road rage shooting in North Carolina. Julie Eberly and her husband were heading to a beach vacation. The latest on WGAL News 8 Today.
The Sheriff’s Department gave this account of what happened to Eberly in its latest release:
On Thursday March 25, 2021 at approximately 11:40 am, officers were dispatched to a subject shot near Exit 22 on I95 north of Lumberton.
Lumberton Police Department, Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina State Highway Patrol and Robeson County EMS arrived to find Julie Eberly suffering from a gunshot wound. Julie Eberly was shot through the passenger door as she and her husband, Ryan Eberly were traveling on I95 South. Ryan Eberly was not injured. Immediate medical assistance was rendered until being transported to UNC Southeastern where she later died.
The investigation revealed a road rage encounter unknowingly developed after the victim’s GMC Yukon came close to the suspect’s Chevrolet Malibu during a merge into a lane. The suspect then pulled to the victim’s passenger side, rolled down his window and fired multiple shots into the passenger door. Witnesses stated that the suspect then drove off and exited at Exit 22. The victim’s vehicle then pulled over on I95 and waited for medical assistance.
Previously, the department said:
The suspect vehiclewas described as a “possible 2010 model Chevrolet Malibu or Impala, silver or grey in color with tinted windows and possibly with chrome around the window frame. The suspect is described as an African American with dreadlocks.”
The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Division “is leading the investigation and continues to seek video footage or eyewitness accounts of the road rage incident that occurred between the 23 and 25 marker along I95 South. The suspect vehicle then exited at exit 22 coming into Lumberton on Fayetteville Road,” the Sheriff’s release said.
“Anyone with information is asked to call 910-671-3170 or email sheriff@robesoncoso.org.”
3. Floyd Has a Criminal History Dating to Age 17
Talking with North Carolina sheriff about the road rage incident that killed a Manheim wife and mom, Julie Eberly. A 10,000 dollar reward now offered for information about shooter @WGAL
Floyd is no stranger to the criminal justice system.
According to WGAL, he was first accused at age 17 of stealing a car in 2009.
He was released from prison in 2016 after being accused of firing a gun as a felon into a home, the television station reported. He also has past charges for “simple assault, breaking and entering, larceny and stealing a gun,” according to WGAL.
A GoFundMe page to help Eberly’s family says she was going on vacation with her husband.
Our dear Julie was taken too soon in a senseless shooting incident in Lumberton, NC on her way to vacation,” it says. “We want to raise funds to honor Julie and her life. Julie was a beautiful, loving, generous, and giving person. We will be using the funds to help others and to give to the organizations that were close to her heart. We are thankful for the outpouring of love and prayers from the Lumberton and Manheim/Lancaster Communities. May Julie’s death not be in vain and may her memory live on by the giving in her name.
The fund has raised more than $33,000.
According to ABC 11, her husband told the television station “he changed lanes and accidentally forced another driver off the road.”
“I saw in my mirror that he was passing us to the right and gunshots were fired, our car was hit. My wife yelled my name. I asked if she was hit and she said ‘yes,'” Ryan Eberly recalled to the television station.
The Sheriff’s Department shared information about a GoFundMe page to help the family of Eberly. “Hello everyone, hundreds of you have emailed or text me wishing to assist the family of the tragic murder of Julie Eberly yesterday along I95. We contacted the family with your care and concerns and have advised them of your offerings. Please see the attached Go Fund Me link if you wish to help. I really appreciate everyone that has reached out to me and continue to ask for your prayers for this family. Please share,” the Sheriff’s Department wrote.
4. The Sheriff Described Floyd’s ‘Cold Face’
HEARTBREAKING: The Robeson County sheriff said Julie Eberly and her husband just celebrated their wedding anniversary & were headed to Hilton Head for a getaway. Julie was shot and killed during a suspected road rage incident. The suspect is still wanted.
t.co/8dmQeeVayo
The sheriff said Floyd didn’t show any emotion when arrested.
“I was there this morning, just after midnight when we arrested him,” Wilkins said to WECT. “And just to look at the cold face that he’s got. His nonchalant, ‘I don’t care that I’m getting arrested’ look. I can only imagine what those folks saw out there on I-95 when he looked over and shot. It actually makes you angry.”
According to WMBF-TV, Eberly and her husband had just celebrated their wedding anniversary and were headed to Hilton Head for a vacation.
It was their 7th wedding anniversary.
On Facebook, Eberly said her name was Julie Bittner Eberly. She wrote that she went to Manheim Central High School, lived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and was from Manheim, Pennsylvania.
5. Eberly’s Facebook Page Is Filled With Family Pictures
The family of Julie Eberly tells me that her and her husband Ryan were driving to Hilton Head to celebrate the couple’s 7th anniversary, which was Wednesday. (Sharing a photo of Julie with the family’s permission)
Eberly filled her Facebook page with pictures of family. She also posted a photo of a prayer night and photos out with friends.
Her husband Ryan’s Facebook page says he is the owner of Flow Mechanical LLC.
Many of her pictures show her with her multiple children.
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