‘Her distinctive laugh still echoes’

Husband of Lancaster County woman says she was killed in ‘cowardly’ road rage shooting

A Lancaster County mother of six who was killed in a “cowardly” road rage shooting in North Carolina last week was on her way to Hilton Head to celebrate her seventh wedding anniversary, her husband said Monday.

“Her distinct laugh still echoes in the hearts of everyone she touched,” Ryan Eberly of Manheim said in a statement on the slaying of his 47-year-old wife, Julie. “Even in the midst of this horrific tragedy, we are seeing the hand of God through the care and concern of many individuals.”

He said he and Julie were intending to spend their wedding anniversary with friends who were married at the same time. Instead, Julie died Thursday when another driver fired into the passenger door of the car her husband was driving on Interstate 95 in Robeson County. None of the children were with the couple.

“We want to tell Julie’s story in the hope that someone, somewhere will come forward, who knows the individual who took the cowardly action of firing a gun from a moving car into another vehicle. Finding this person won’t bring Julie back, but it will provide justice for Julie and prevent this from happening to anyone else. It will also provide comfort and a bit of closure for Julie’s family,” Eberly said.

He said the gunman callously cut short the life of a woman who loved to go snowmobiling and was “ready for any type of adventure.”

“Julie made it her mission to open their home to friends, family, and neighbors. It was her joy to have these people around her and bless them with her hospitality,” her husband said. “Julie’s roots of faith grew deep. She was involved in several prayer ministries and deeply passionate in helping people find healing. Everyone who knew her enjoyed her joy for life and positive spirit.”

As the Eberly family mourned, the Robeson County Sheriff ’s Department was still on the hunt for the shooter. Investigators said the shooting occurred at 11:40 a.m. near Lumberton after the Eberlys’ car came close to the shooter’s as they merged into a lane. The shooter pulled alongside the Eberlys’ car, rolled down his window and fired multiple shots, police said. One bullet hit Julie Eberly, who died in a hospital.

The shooter’s car is a silver or gray Chevrolet Malibu or Impala with tinted windows. Anyone with information is asked to call the Robeson County Sheriff ’s Office at 910-671-3170 or email sheriff@robesoncoso.org.

A gofundme page, the Julie Michelle Eberly Memorial Foundation, was created at the urging of the Robeson County Sheriff ’s Office because of the hundreds of emails from residents wanting to know how to help, Eberly said.

“The money will be used to make donations to charities in Julie’s honor,” he said.