A pregnant Navy veteran was shot and killed last week while celebrating Christmas in North Carolina just days before her wedding.
Family members said Precious Dyer, 29, was four months pregnant when she was killed at Evolution Music Hall in Wilson on Saturday night, according to WITN. Dyer was struck by a bullet after a fight broke out around 1:30 a.m.
Investigators who responded to the scene said the veteran was not involved in the fight or the shooting. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Reporter Keenan Willard shared a photo of Dyer on Twitter.
“This is Precious Dyer. 29-years-old, a US Navy veteran and four months pregnant. She was shot and killed at a Wilson County club early in the morning after Christmas Day,” he wrote. “Her family says the holiday will never be the same, and they’re calling for justice.”
“Hearing the news that something was wrong, I was just hoping that whatever happened — whatever injuries she had — she was able to recover or at least be able to save the baby,” said Dyer’s mother, Tijuana Locus, as reported by The News and Observer.
Dyer’s father, Dwight Locus, said he never thought he’d have to see his daughter “deceased…on a bed…with blood around her whole head” at Vidant Medical Center.
Dyer, an 8-year Navy veteran, was described by her parents as sweet and adventurous. She was the oldest of 10 children and the “backbone” of her family.
“My daughter will be greatly missed because to us, she was our everything,” Mr. Locus said.
“I’m hurt, I’m in shock and I just can’t believe my daughter’s gone,” said Ms. Locus.
On Monday, the victim’s family returned to the scene of the shooting and asked the community to help with the ongoing investigation.
“Speak up!” Ms. Locus pleaded. “It could be your daughter, it could be your son. She died and I’m going to never see anymore. I’m hurt!”
Wilson County investigators are asking the public to contact the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office at 252-237-2118 if they have any information. Community members can also make an anonymous report on the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office app.
Earlier this month, a U.S. Marine was killed when he was hit by a truck on the freeway near Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California, after stopping to help two people involved in a vehicle crash.
When the young Marine stopped to help the driver of a Ford Edge who had lost control and crashed, a 47-year-old driving a box truck crashed into them. The Marine died at the scene of the accident.
