Charlotte man arrested in Chapel Hill shooting now charged with murder
A Charlotte man has been charged with murder in the death of a man shot July 11 at a Chapel Hill apartment complex.
Friends of Elyjah Smith, 25, of Chapel Hill, told WRAL on Thursday that he has died from his injuries.
Chapel Hill police have not confirmed the information, but Orange County Sheriff’s Office records show Kemonnie Drequan Eason, 27, was charged this week with first-degree murder. He is being held without bail in Orange County, where he is scheduled to appear before a judge Friday afternoon.
Eason also is charged in Orange County with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling, assault by pointing a gun, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and larceny of a motor vehicle, police said.
In Wake County, Eason is facing a 2020 assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury charge, and charges related to misdemeanor and felony probation violations in 2019, detention and court records showed.
‘Planet Fitness Guy’
ABC11, The News & Observer’s media partner, spoke with a witness who said Smith, his roommate, was shot after an argument in the apartment parking lot.
Police found Smith in the parking lot with life-threatening gunshot wounds after responding to the 100 block of Ashley Forest Road around 9:10 p.m. July 11 in response to a 911 call. Smith was taken to UNC Hospitals, where he was initially listed in critical condition.
”He said he got a gun, so he come back inside,” the roommate, Austin Drum, told the news station. “But then he went back outside and they started arguing again and come back inside and I close the door, opened it up again and then he stood in the doorway and that’s when the shots were fired and I just seen him collapse fell on the ground. I tried to do the best I could.”
Smith’s friends started a GoFundMe page to help his family pay the bills.
He was an employee of Planet Fitness in Chapel Hill and was “affectionately known as “Planet Fitness Guy” to friends, coworkers and community members who knew him at his place of work,” his friends wrote in the online appeal.
In another post Wednesday, his family announced Smith’s race was over.
“He ran through it all so much faster than we could have ever expected. There should have been more miles and finish lines ahead. Today he passed through his final finish line. His running shoes are now wings. His track is Heaven where he’ll forever watch over you and me,” the post said.
Previous convictions, parole violation
State corrections records show Eason was convicted in 2017 of possession of a firearm by a felon and common-law robbery charges in Mecklenburg County. He was released to parole in May 2018 after serving 17 months in prison, the records show.
In September 2019, he was convicted in Gaston County on charges of driving while impaired and possessing stolen goods, receiving a suspended sentence and probation. Correction records show he stopped showing up for probation meetings at some point and was listed as an “absconder from probation/parole supervision.”
Anyone with information about the Ashley Forest shooting can call 911 or contact the Chapel Hill Police Department at 919-968-2760 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Callers also can leave an anonymous tip by calling Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC Crimestoppers at 919-942-7515.
Staff writer Mark Schultz contributed to this story.
The Orange Report
Calling Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough readers! We've launched The Orange Report, a free weekly digest of some of the top stories for and about Orange County published in The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. Get your newsletter delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday at 11 a.m. featuring links to stories by our local journalists. Sign up for our newsletter here. For even more Orange-focused news and conversation, join our Facebook group "Chapel Hill Carrboro Chat."
