Devonelle Leon Brimage, a 36-year-old man, died in Plymouth, North Carolina, on April 2, 2026, after an early-morning shooting on Latham Avenue. Police said officers responded around 1:34 a.m. after hearing multiple gunshots and after dispatchers received several 911 calls reporting gunfire in the area. When officers reached the scene, they found a vehicle parked in the driveway of a residence, with Brimage unresponsive inside and suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.
Inside that same
vehicle, police also found 38-year-old Avione Linquad Webb in the rear seat with gunshot wounds. An 8-month-old child was also in the vehicle. Emergency crews tried to save Brimage, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Webb was first taken to Washington Regional Medical Center and later transferred to ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville for further treatment. The infant was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and was later released from the hospital.
The shooting quickly became even more heartbreaking as Brimage's family described what they believed happened in his final moments. Brimage was reportedly holding his 8-month-old child when gunfire erupted, and the child's mother told investigators that he used his body to shield the baby. Loved ones later remembered that act as a final expression of who he was: protective, devoted, and willing to sacrifice himself for his child. A fundraiser created for his family described him as a father of 11 and said his last moments showed courage and love.
Brimage had ties beyond Plymouth as well. Obituary information identified him as Devonelle Leon Brimage, born March 27, 1990, and stated that he departed this life on April 2, 2026, in Plymouth. It also described him as being of Pollocksville, North Carolina, and listed his surviving children and family members. The public accounts of his death centered not only on the violence of the shooting, but also on the children and relatives left behind.
Investigators treated the case as a homicide investigation. Plymouth police said they were being assisted by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Authorities asked anyone with information to contact the Plymouth Police Department, indicating that they were still seeking leads.
As of the latest available reporting, no arrest had been publicly announced, and police had not publicly named a suspect or suspects. No motive had been released. The case remained active, with investigators still working to determine who opened fire on the vehicle and why Brimage, Webb, and the infant were caught in the attack.
