Teen charged with murdering NC Uber driver found in car in Johnston County

The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office arrested an 18-year-old Wednesday in the shooting of a Durham man found dead in a car.

Tray’vian Tre’vel Brown of Dunn is charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon in the death of 57-year-old Emmanuel Kwame Gbedee, court records show.

A trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol found Gbedee dead in the backseat of a vehicle about 1 a.m. Sunday, according to a news release.

Sheriff’s Office deputies went to Benson after someone reported a suspicious person dressed in all black on Holly Grove Road.

The Highway Patrol was also contacted in case the vehicle had been involved in a motor-vehicle accident and got to the scene first, the release said.

Brown allegedly stole Gbedee’s 2015 Nissan Altima after threatening him with a 9mm handgun, the arrest warrant states. Gbedee was working as an Uber driver when he picked up Brown near Holly Grove Road, according to the release.

Officials said a motive for the killing is still unknown. Brown is being held in the Johnston County jail without bail.

Family left with questions

“We’re devastated,” Emmanuel Gbedee Jr. told ABC11, The News & Observer’s newsgathering partner. “We’re just we’re in total shock, loss for words that something this inhumane would come this close to our house and to our family.”

Standing beside his grieving mother, Gbedee Jr. said the family doesn’t understand how his father, who had taken his little sister to a friend’s birthday party that evening, was found dead over 70 miles from home just a few hours after they last saw him.

This story was originally published January 13, 2025 at 12:24 PM.