Arrest made in River Road shooting

Published 2:05 pm Saturday, September 10, 2016

An arrest was made Friday in connection with a shooting off of River Road.

Jeffery Lamar Sawyer, 24, of Plymouth, was arrested and charged with one count of murder, one count of first-degree burglary and one count of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to a press release from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

He is being held at Beaufort County Detention Center without bond.

According to the release, investigators received a tip from a detective with the Washington Police Department on Friday, and the department continued to assist with gathering evidence.

Chief Deputy Charlie Rose, of the sheriff’s office, confirmed that law enforcement is pursuing more suspects and expects there to be more arrests.

He declined to give any information as to how many suspects are being investigated.

“Right now, we feel that there’s going to be more arrests in the case just based off of what we’ve been able to find,” Rose said.

He said the situation still seems to indicate an armed robbery attempt, and authorities believe the victim knew Sawyer.

On Thursday, authorities received a 911 call at about 12:30 a.m. reporting a shooting at 116 Baker Drive in River Road Estates Mobile Home Park in Washington. Emergency personnel responded to the scene but were unable to save the shooting victim, according to the release.

Twenty-two-year-old Joshua Rashawn O’Neal was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sawyer was also wanted by Washington police for possession of a firearm by a felon and robbery with a dangerous weapon, stemming from a Sept. 3 incident, the release stated.

As of Saturday evening, Rose said the investigation was still ongoing.