'I got hit': Man fatally shot in Fayetteville was attempting to retrieve his stolen trailer

When Jossiel Rodriquez-Perez and two friends went to retrieve his stolen trailer in November, they were first met by resistance and then by deadly gunfire, an affidavit in the Fayetteville father's murder investigation reveals.

At least one shot struck the 40-year-old Army veteran Nov. 27. He died about an hour later at the hospital. More than a dozen people at the scene scattered, the record states. The shooter and a woman sped away in a white Chevrolet truck with the trailer still attached.

Less than half an hour earlier, Rodriguez-Perez reported to police that his trailer had been stolen from outside of his Hope Mills Road appliance store. When the GPS showed it on Smith Road in the southwest end of the county, he met up with two friends and drove to the scene, according to a 911 call and court records.

The trio approached the Smith Road vacant lot and saw a group of about 15 individuals, at least some of whom were unloading his washers and dryers from the trailer.

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"Jossiel Rodriguez-Perez told the individuals ... that he wanted his property back," one search warrant states. "(A friend) heard the driver ... tell Jossiel Rodriguez-Perez that he would have to pay him what he paid for the trailer."

The friend told investigators that he then heard the driver tell a woman in the truck to "give him his gun."

Shots fired

"The (driver), along with several other individuals, began walking across the road" and "the driver ... fired one gunshot at the ground."

The record states that Rodriguez-Perez's friend fired one gunshot at the group, before running away from the confrontation.

The survivors told investigators that as they ran, more gunshots were fired and Rodriguez-Perez said, "I got hit," and fell to the ground, the record states.

More: 911 caller said group was searching for stolen trailer before deadly Cumberland shooting

"My boy's trailer was getting robbed and he had a GPS on it, and we had called the cops about it and they were on their way," one of the two survivors said in a 911 call after the shooting. "We got there before the cops did ... One of our boys got shot up."

When law enforcement arrived, Rodriguez-Perez was lying on his stomach in the driveway of a nearby home. He was pronounced dead at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center at 11:27 p.m., the affidavit states.

The trailer was located Dec. 8, the Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Three sought for questioning

Last week, the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office announced that three people were wanted for questioning in the killing.

A news release Thursday said investigators want to talk to Amber Byrne, 35, of Bunnlevel, and Kevin Lambert Brewington, 34, and Dewey Lee Smith, 42, both of Fayetteville. A fourth individual, William Wilson, is no longer being sought, an official said. The Sheriff's Office first announced Dec. 6 that they were attempting to locate Byrne.

As of Thursday, no one has been arrested in the killing.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Byrne, Lambert or Brewington, is asked to call Homicide Detective Sgt. J. Mcleod at 910-677-5548. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Fayetteville/Cumberland County CrimeStoppers by calling 910-483-TIPS (8477); visiting fay-nccrimestoppers.org online; or by downloading the FREE “P3 Tips” app available for mobile devices.

Public safety reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at jpierre@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Jossiel Rodriguez-Perez was killed in Fayetteville in November