Darius Samata Jamal Atkins, 29, was shot and killed on November 25, 2020, in the parking lot of the House of Raeford in Rose Hill, North Carolina. Known as D-Rock, he was a father and an employee at the facility; he was shot three times at about 5:23 a.m. while taking an early morning break. Family and friends remember him for his warmth and kindness.

Authorities say the assailant, co-worker Antwan Terrell Wright, waited for Darius to come outside after not reporting for work that day, reportedly believing Darius had shot up Wright’s grandmother’s house in Goldsboro. Wright fled in a vehicle witnesses identified as belonging to his sister. The Duplin County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team, used cell phone and social media data in the investigation, and Wright was later apprehended with U.S. Marshals’ help.

In March 2024 Wright was convicted of first-degree murder by premeditation and deliberation and possession of a firearm by a felon; he received life without parole plus an additional consecutive 17 to 30 months. Darius’s family continues to mourn his loss. Did anyone who knew Darius or who was in the Rose Hill area that morning see or hear anything that could add detail to his last hours?