On the evening of February 17, 2023, at about 9:35 p.m., Laurinburg police responded to a reported shooting at a residence on Blues Farm Road. Officers found 23-year-old Vendell Taylor DeBerry inside the home with a gunshot wound. He was taken to Scotland Memorial Hospital and later pronounced dead.

Investigators arrested Vendell’s brother, 22-year-old Van Milton DeBerry, charging him with first-degree murder, discharging a firearm from within an enclosure to incite fear, and discharging a firearm in the city limits. Van DeBerry was held without bond at the Scotland County Detention Center. Records in the case note prior incidents involving Van DeBerry, including a May 2022 arrest for an event on Pitt Street where multiple people discharged firearms, and a November 2022 gunshot injury at the Tobacco House where he did not cooperate with investigators. The Blues Farm Road residence had been subject to a July 2021 search warrant that resulted in seizures of firearms and controlled substances and arrests of several people, including family members.

Funeral services for Vendell Taylor DeBerry were held February 26, 2023, at Bright Hopewell Baptist Church, with interment at Hillside Memorial Park. Does anyone have information about the night of February 17 or the people who were at the Blues Farm Road home?