‘Armed and dangerous’ man faces murder charges after mom, toddler killed, NC cops say
A man is charged with murder after a toddler and her mom were killed in Eastern North Carolina, officials said.
“We don’t know what that 3-year-old baby could have become,” Michael Brooks, an Elizabeth City councilman, told WAVY. “We don’t know. Because of a senseless murder.”
A teenager also died in the shooting, which left three other people injured this month in Elizabeth City, the local police department told news outlets.
More than a week after the deadly shooting, 34-year-old Ricky Lewis Etheridge Jr. is wanted in the case. He is from Elizabeth City and should be “considered armed and dangerous,” officials said in a Dec. 10 news release.
On Dec. 2, police said they responded to a shooting at the intersection of Jordan and Perry streets. Three people, ranging in age from 20 to 40, were injured and taken to nearby hospitals, WTKR reported.
Three people who died in the shooting were identified in news reports and by police as:
3-year-old Allura Pledger of Manteo
39-year-year-old Takeyia De’Shay Berry of Manteo
18-year-old Jaquan Tobias White of Elizabeth City
Family members said Berry was the mom of the 3-year-old who died. She leaves behind a teenage daughter and is remembered as a generous person who welcomed relatives into her home, The Virginian-Pilot reported.
Andrecia Vespa, the toddler’s aunt, said White tried to protect her niece from the gunfire, WAVY reported.
“He is my hero,” Vespa told the news outlet. “He could have ducked, but this 18-year-old was every bit of a man.”
As of Dec. 10, Etheridge was facing three counts of murder in the shooting deaths. The investigation continues, and officials ask people with information to contact police at 252-335-4321 or call the Crime Line at 252-335-5555.
Officers didn’t share other details about the shooting in their news release. The Elizabeth City Police Department, based about 165 miles northeast of Raleigh and near the Virginia border, didn’t immediately share additional information about the case with McClatchy News on Dec. 13.
This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 3:30 PM with the headline "‘Armed and dangerous’ man faces murder charges after mom, toddler killed, NC cops say."
