Murder charges filed | Sampson Independent

A little more than a month after two Sampson County brothers were shot to death in the parking lot of a Roseboro apartment complex, a suspect has been jailed in connection with their murders.

According to Sampson Sheriff’s Office reports, Elijah Tushawn Davis, 24, of 229 Brantwood Court, Roseboro, was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon and held without bail in connection with the Oct. 27 shooting at the apartments.

The long list of charges Davis faces include two counts of murder in connection with the shooting deaths of Frederick Dixon, 46, of 401 N. Pine St., Roseboro, and Leo Dixon, 40, of 74 Pitchfork Lane, Salemburg.

Sheriff’s Capt. Marcus Smith said an ongoing investigation into the shooting led to officers identifying Davis as a suspect.

“We were able to trace our investigation back to him and officers obtained arrest warrants based on the information we gathered during our investigation,” Smith said Friday.

Smith said sheriff’s officials have been unable to locate Davis since receiving the warrants, so they asked the U.S. Marshals Service for help earlier this month.

On Wednesday, marshals contacted the Sheriff’s Department and told officers that Davis had been located in Greenville.

Smith said two local detectives went to Pitt County on Wednesday and picked up Davis to file charges against him at that time.

Mary Dixon, mother of the two slain men, said Friday afternoon that she was grateful that an arrest had been made and she thanked law enforcement for how quickly they identified and arrested a suspect.

“They were there from the moment it happened,” Dixon confirmed. “I would really like to thank the officers and investigators for everything they have done to deal with this matter. You have done an excellent job. I’m just glad they got arrested.”

Dixon said officers treated her with respect from day one and worked diligently to solve the case. “I can’t emphasize enough how good they were,” she assured.

The mother said she remains devastated by her sons’ deaths. “I’m not feeling well at all; I lost my two sons. It’s just a terrible, terrible tragedy and it hurts.”

But she also sees beyond her grief the larger community problem her sons’ deaths have brought to light – serious problems at Brantwood Court.

“Something has to be done out there in Brantwood,” emphasized the grieving mother. “These officers and detectives, they are like me, they want everything cleaned up. It needs to be cleaned up before something bad like what happened to my boys happens.

“There are older people out there, good people, who are afraid to leave their homes and that’s just not right. It’s terrible.”

The Dixon brothers were found dead in the early hours of Oct. 27 after emergency and police officers were called to the Brantwood Court apartments about shots fired.

When officers arrived, they found two male victims in the parking lot, both suffering from “apparent gunshot wounds.” Officers, Smith said, began life-saving measures on both men until paramedics could arrive, but their attempts were unsuccessful.

The men were later identified as the Dixon brothers.

Smith declined to comment in October on whether a weapon was found at the scene, citing the ongoing investigation as the reason for not providing details about the case.

In addition to the two murder charges filed against Davis in connection with the case, there is also one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

In addition to the recent cases, warrants have also been issued for the suspect’s arrest on outstanding Sampson warrants, which include identity theft, carrying a concealed weapon and multiple traffic violations. His bail for the OFAs was set at $55,000.