ROCKINGHAM — The suspect in a weekend homicide has been apprehended and faces multiple charges.
Raequan Lameek Ratliff, 28, of Hamlet, is accused of killing 36-year-old Wendell Robinson Jr., who was found lying on Easterling Street around 6:20 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 3, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators say Ratliff also reportedly fired shots into parked vehicles at Ellerbe Manor Apartments, as well into a home on Sallie Goins Hill Road which was occupied by three people.
Ratliff reportedly fled to Rowan County after being identified as a suspect on Aug. 4.
The sheriff’s office says Ratliff’s arrest was made through the cooperation of its investigators with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, Salisbury Police Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as the vigilant community members who provided crucial information.”
“Sheriff Mark Gulledge emphasized that this collaborative effort, which transcended jurisdictional boundaries, reflects a commitment to upholding the law and ensuring that justice is served, thereby providing a sense of unity and support to the community and reinforcing our collective safety,” reads a post on the RCSO Facebook page.
Ratliff is charged with: one count of felony murder; three counts of attempted murder; discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling; possession of a firearm by a felon; and two misdemeanor counts of injury to personal property.
The sheriff’s office says Ratliff was booked into the Richmond County Jail and is being held without bond. However, Ratliff did not appear in online jail records at 9:47 p.m. Aug. 5.
The warrants for the alleged crimes were also not available online at the time of this report, so further details and a court date are currently unknown.
Records with the N.C. Department of Adult Correction show Ratliff was convicted in 2022 on two counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied property and one count of felony larceny.
Ratliff served 14 months in prison and his parole ended Aug. 16, 2024.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
