LUMBERTON, N.C. (TCD) — A state employee was killed last month after a man carjacked his department-owned vehicle and fatally struck him with it before driving off.
Lumberton Police said that on the morning of March 14, emergency dispatch received a call about an attempted carjacking on the 4100 block of West 5th Street. While en route to the call, officers learned the suspect got into a hit-and-run crash in a parking lot several blocks away. According to Lumberton Police, the suspect was attempting to carjack a second vehicle.
Witnesses reportedly tried to stop the suspect from stealing the car, and in the process, the suspect got into one of the bystander’s vehicles, which was owned by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The suspect ended up hitting the witness whose car he stole, and the man, Jonathan Adam Lecompte, 38, later died from his injuries.
Police pursued the vehicle until the driver crashed it near a highway. Officers arrested the suspect, 28-year-old Ricky Alex Driggers, on charges of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted common law robbery, one count of larceny of a motor vehicle, and one count of felony fleeing to elude. He is being held in the Robeson County Detention Center without bond.
According to the Fayetteville Observer, a video of the fatal carjacking began circulating online that showed a man in a yellow traffic vest and hard hat, most likely Lecompte, pointing a gun at the driver. The man in the vest fired several shots at Driggers, but he continued to drive off.
WRAL-TV reports the North Carolina Department of Transportation released a statement identifying Lecompte as one of their longtime employees. The agency said, “Our prayers and thoughts are with the family of Jonathan Lecompte. He was a dedicated, 16-year employee of the Department, working for the Sign Division of the Division 6 Traffic Services unit. Jonathan was greatly admired and will be sincerely missed.”
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It’s truly tragic to hear about the loss of Jonathan Adam Lecompte. He showed immense bravery in trying to prevent the carjacking. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.