Yoashica Johnson-McKeithan, a 48-year-old woman from Linden, North Carolina, was shot and killed late on the night of June 21, 2025, at a crowded birthday party on Bethea Road in the Shawtown community of Lillington. Deputies arrived at about 11:36 p.m. to find a chaotic scene with nearly 200 people in attendance; paramedics pronounced Johnson-McKeithan dead at the scene. Two other people, identified in court documents as Timothy Maurice Elliot and Albany Little, were seriously wounded and taken to Womack Army Medical Center.

Investigators arrested 27-year-old Moashaun Lafarr Bristow of Lillington days after the shooting and charged him with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and felony conspiracy to commit attempted first-degree murder. Warrants named a second suspect, Christonn Bristow, as a co-conspirator who remained at large at that time. Officials noted Moashaun Bristow was out on bond in a separate 2021 Spring Lake homicide case when the Lillington shooting occurred.

Family remembered Johnson-McKeithan as a wife, mother, and Harnett Central graduate; her funeral was held in Lillington. The sheriff’s office said the death remained under active investigation and asked anyone with information to come forward. If anyone knew Yoashica or has information about the shooting, please share what can help the investigation.