Just after midnight on February 7, 2026, residents of the Topeka Heights Apartments in the 2900 block of Dewelle Drive reported hearing multiple gunshots echo through the complex. The apartments, situated off Camden Road in a residential area of Cumberland County near Fayetteville, North Carolina, quickly became the focus of an urgent law enforcement response as calls flooded the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office dispatch.
Deputies arrived within minutes of the 12:02 a.m. report, locating 44-year-old Damarr Johnson suffering from several gunshot wounds outside one of the buildings. First responders provided immediate aid and rushed him to a nearby hospital, but despite aggressive medical intervention, he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
The scene in the 2900 block of Dewelle Drive was secured as investigators from the Sheriff’s Office began collecting evidence under floodlights. Witnesses described a chaotic moment with people scattering after the shots, though no immediate description of a suspect emerged in the initial hours following the violence.
Later that morning, detectives identified and arrested 32-year-old Elijah Lloyd IV, a resident of the Anderson Creek community in nearby Harnett County. He was taken into custody without incident and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Johnson’s death, reflecting the deliberate nature alleged by prosecutors.
Court records and sheriff’s statements indicate the shooting stemmed from circumstances still under review, with no public details released about any prior relationship between the two men or potential motives. Elijah Lloyd IV was processed at the Cumberland County Detention Center, where he remained held without bond pending further proceedings.
The Topeka Heights community, part of a broader area served by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office rather than Fayetteville city police, has been left shaken by the fatal incident. As the homicide investigation continues, authorities have encouraged anyone with information to contact the sheriff’s tip line.
