Ryan Eberly sorely misses his wife, Julie Eberly. She was shot unexpectedly and succumbed to her injuries.
Life is unexpected and therefore cannot be taken for granted. Even when we plan and prepare, tragic accidents can change the course of our lives. The aftermath of such an incident can shift our perspective entirely. One man, who was happily married one moment, lost the love of his life in the most shocking way, and he's opening up about it now.
A Pennsylvania couple, Ryan and Julie Eberly, who just wanted to celebrate their anniversary, had the most bizarre experience that ended up being fatal for one of them. They were driving southbound on Interstate 95 on March 25 to head to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, to celebrate their seventh wedding anniversary, Ryan told WGAL.
"In three minutes my whole world turned upside down and I don't know why," Ryan told 6ABC. "There's a lot of numbness. There's a lot of raw emotion. She just loved being around her family and friends and sharing our blessings," said he.
"I changed lanes, and a car was coming behind me. I didn't see that he was going around me. I pushed him to the shoulder mistakenly. As soon as I was able, I gave him room to get back on the highway. No car contact," he added. Soon, the vehicle came towards the couple's car again. What happened next is absolutely horrific. "I saw in my mirror that he was passing us to the right. Gunshots were fired, and our car was hit. My wife yelled my name, and I asked if she was hit. She said yes," he said.
Julie was taken to the UNC Southeastern Hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries there. Ryan was not wounded. Unfortunately, the police are unaware of who the perpetrator is. For now, they only know that the car, from which the perpetrator shot Julie, was a silver or grey 2000 Malibu or Impala with dark tinted windows and chrome around the frames, according to People.
"Witnesses traveling near the shooting incident describe this vehicle as being involved in a road rage shooting today at approximately 11:40 am along I95 south near the 23-mile marker. A 47-year-old Pennsylvania woman was shot through the passenger door," the Robeson County Sheriff's office said in a press release. The perpetrator was described as "an African American with dreadlocks."
They also announced a reward of $10,000 for information "leading to probable cause for the issuance of warrants and the arrest of the suspect(s) responsible for the murder of Julie Eberly. The reward was provided to the Sheriff on Friday afternoon by a Robeson County resident that wishes to remain anonymous," the press release said, according to People.
"While we hope that anyone with information, in this case, would come forward, this provided incentive should because to do so even more. I appreciate the resident coming forth with this reward," Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said in a statement.
Her husband, Ryan, is now a single dad with six kids, and he wants to fight for her. "I need, as a husband, to do everything in my physical power to do whatever I can to bring her justice," he said, as per People.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds for Julie. She "was a beautiful, loving, generous, and giving person. We will be using the funds to help others and to give to the organizations that were close to her heart," the fundraising page said.
References:
https://6abc.com/julie-eberly-shooting-husband-road-rage-north-carolina/10460428/
https://www.gofundme.com/f/julie-michelle-eberly-memorial-foundation?
Cover image source: GoFundMe
