On December 13, 2023, at about 12:14 p.m., deputies and investigators from the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported shooting in the 14000 block of Highway 71 North in Shannon, North Carolina. Responders found 22-year-old Jaheim Rochi Purdie of Lumberton deceased at the scene from an apparent gunshot wound. The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Division led the investigation with assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, the Robeson County District Attorney’s Office and the Shannon Fire Department.

On December 20, 2023, authorities arrested 20-year-old Rodney J. Cade of Lumberton and charged him with manslaughter in connection with Purdie’s death; he was held at the Robeson County Detention Center under a $50,000 secured bond. Purdie was described as someone who loved hunting, fishing, riding dirt bikes and horses, and spending time with family. He is survived by two children, Jakir and Aryya Purdie, among other relatives.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at 910-671-3170 or 910-671-3100. Did anyone in Shannon or Lumberton see or hear anything that afternoon?