Shortly before 5:20 a.m. on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, deputies from the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in the 9800 block of N.C. Highway 72 East in Lumberton after a report of a person shot. Inside they found 49-year-old Lumberton resident Earl Carpenter fatally wounded.

Investigators identified 78-year-old Joseph A. Stokes, also of Lumberton, as a suspect. Stokes reportedly barricaded himself inside the home after the shooting and was taken into custody without further incident. He was charged with first-degree murder and discharging a firearm within an enclosure to incite fear and booked into the Robeson County Detention Center, held without bond. Authorities say the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Division is continuing its investigation; the circumstances that led to the fatal encounter have not been disclosed.

If anyone in the Lumberton area has information about Earl Carpenter, his activities that morning, or the events at the Highway 72 East residence, please share what is known.