WAYNE COUNTY, N.C. — A second arrest has been made in connection to a 2024 homicide in the Dudley community, according to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.
On Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, the United States Marshals Service located and arrested Damion Lavonte Harmon in Newport News, Virginia. Harmon was served with an arrest warrant out of Wayne County charging him with murder in the death of Tyleem Qur’an Juemar Coleman.
Harmon is being held without bond pending extradition to North Carolina. Officials say he will be transported back to Wayne County once he waives extradition from Virginia.
The arrest stems from the ongoing investigation into the fatal shooting of Coleman, who was found deceased on Oct. 14, 2024, along Camp Trailee Road in Dudley.
Deputies responded to the area around 7:45 a.m. that morning after receiving a report of an unresponsive person. Upon arrival, they discovered Coleman had died from multiple gunshot wounds.
During the course of the investigation, detectives submitted evidence to the North Carolina State Crime Lab and conducted interviews that led to the development of suspects in the case.
In the initial phase of the investigation, Takari Jahkir Pridgen was identified as a suspect. Warrants were secured charging Pridgen with murder, and he was later taken into custody in Lumberton and transported back to Wayne County. He remains in the Wayne County Detention Center without bond.
Sheriff Larry Pierce previously described the case as a thorough and deliberate investigation, commending detectives for their efforts to bring accountability in the case.
The investigation remains ongoing.
