Henry Lee Downing Jr., a 49-year-old Black man, was fatally shot in the early morning hours of September 26, 2023, on the 2200 block of Ladyslipper Drive in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Deputies arrived about 12:28 a.m. after a 911 caller reported a shooting; Downing was found with a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. His family was later notified of his death.

Investigators quickly expanded the inquiry. The day after the killing they asked the public for help locating two Fayetteville women, 40-year-old Sara Ruth Duncan and 40-year-old Elizabeth Louise Bartlett, for questioning; reports did not say either woman had been charged. Within two days authorities identified Thomas Jermaine Blake as the man accused of murdering Downing and obtained a warrant charging him with first-degree murder. Blake was already in custody in Georgetown County, South Carolina, on allegations he had committed an armed robbery at a Piggly Wiggly on September 27 and faced armed robbery, kidnapping and weapons-related charges in that case.

If anyone has information about what happened on Ladyslipper Drive or knew Downing, contact the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.