Jose Melendez Jr., a decorated Fort Bragg soldier, was gunned down outside a Raleigh apartment complex in the early morning hours of November 29, 2017, and more than nine years later, no arrest has ever been made. Melendez was shot five times while walking to his car after dropping off a friend on Raven Road, left lying in the parking lot until a neighbor came outside to comfort him as paramedics raced to the scene.
Melendez had spent that Tuesday evening as the designated driver for friends at the Black Flower Bar off Peace Street in downtown Raleigh, according to Military Times, before driving the group to an apartment complex in the 2200 block of Raven Road. He was on approved leave and due back at base later that same morning. Around 3:20 a.m., a female neighbor called 911 after hearing gunshots and told dispatchers she saw a hooded male suspect running on foot into nearby woods before she went outside to comfort Melendez until first responders arrived, per the same account. He was transported to WakeMed hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to CBS 17, Melendez was shot five times, and investigators with the Raleigh Police Department found his work bag and Army boots untouched at the scene — details that have fed a persistent theory within his own family. Melendez's relatives believe he may not have been the intended target of the ambush, the station reports. Officers searched surveillance cameras in the area but came up empty, finding nothing that captured the shooting or the shooter's escape.
A Soldier's Record of Service
Melendez enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2013 and completed basic combat training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, before serving with the 82nd Airborne Division, according to Military Times. He deployed for nine months to Iraq and Syria in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, then joined the 112th Signal Battalion under the 528th Sustainment Brigade, working as a nodal network systems operator stationed at Fort Bragg. His decorations included the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal, Parachutist Badge, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, and Marksmanship Qualification Badge, Army Times reported. His family later released photos of him suited up for static-line parachute jumps.
Lt. Col. Shaw Pick, commander of the 112th Signal Battalion, released an official statement following the killing expressing devastation over the loss to the unit and offering military command support to Melendez's family, the outlet noted. Melendez's sister, Mara, said at the time that he had been happy to be stationed close to family in North Carolina.
Reward Money and a Case Hampered by Missing Video
In December 2018, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced a $5,000 state reward to supplement the $15,000 his family had already raised that May, bringing the combined reward to $20,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction, according to Army Times. Investigators told CrimeSolvers Central that the case has been severely hampered by a lack of security camera coverage in the parking area where Melendez was shot, a gap that has left detectives with little physical evidence to work from nearly nine years on.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crimestoppers at 919-996-1193, and tipsters may choose to remain anonymous, per CBS 17's report.
Family Advocacy and a Changed Fort Bragg
Melendez's family connected with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, known as TAPS, in 2018 for grief support, and his sister, Mara Melendez Bandy, has continued partnering with nonprofits such as Project: Cold Case to keep the case in public view, according to TAPS. Project: Cold Case works to spotlight unsolved homicides nationwide in hopes of generating new leads.
Melendez's home installation has also changed names twice since his death. Fort Bragg was officially renamed Fort Liberty in June 2023 under a federal mandate removing Confederate names, before Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered it reverted to Fort Bragg in February 2025 to honor World War II Silver Star recipient Army Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. The installation remains home to the XVIII Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne Division.
Locally, the Black Flower Bar on Peace Street, where Melendez spent his final hours as a designated driver, has since permanently closed, with elements of its decor later integrated into a dive bar on Hillsborough Street. Nearly nine years after the shooting, Jose Melendez Jr.'s murder remains unsolved, and his family continues to wait for the call that could finally bring an arrest.
