Samuel L. Brooks, 42, a Black male from Reidsville, North Carolina, was fatally shot late on the night of June 12, 2025. Police were called just before midnight to the 500 block of Roach Street, where officers found Brooks and his cousin, 37-year-old Shanika D. Penn, suffering from gunshot wounds. Despite lifesaving efforts, Rockingham County EMS pronounced both victims dead at the scene. Investigators said they had developed a person of interest as they gathered surveillance video and eyewitness accounts from the neighborhood between 11 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. that night.
Within days, detectives publicly named 45-year-old Dexter Lamar Scales Sr. as the suspect and obtained warrants charging him with two counts of first-degree murder. Authorities urged Scales to surrender, warning that anyone who aided or harbored him would face charges. A reward was announced for information leading to his arrest, which later grew to as much as $10,000 as the search continued through July. As of late June, police said Scales remained at large and considered dangerous.
Investigators also made arrests connected to the case. On June 27, officers arrested 39-year-old Leslie Moyer of Eden and charged her with being an accessory after the fact; she was booked into the Rockingham County Detention Center on a $500,000 secured bond and scheduled for a first court appearance in early July. Weeks later, on July 22, police arrested Deaja Lamiya Scales and charged her with accessory after the fact, noting she was also held on a $500,000 secured bond with a court date set for July 29. The investigation remained active as detectives continued to seek the suspect while family and community members called for justice for Brooks and Penn.
