FUNERAL SERVICES FOR TARICA PULLIAM
A public visitation for Tarica Pulliam will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday at
Davis Funeral Home Jordan Memorial Chapel, 901 S. 5th Ave. Funeral
services will be held at noon Monday at Union Missionary Baptist Church in
Wilmington, and she w ill be buried at Greenlawn Memorial Park.
The family of Tarica Pulliam is asking that in lieu of flowers, people donate
to a fund for her 7-year-old daughter's education at the State Employees'
Credit Union. The fund is under Pulliam's name.
Wilmington branches
3500 Converse Drive
6832-A Market St.
210 Racine Drive
5011 Randall Parkway
Brunswick County branches
1109 New Pointe Blvd. Suite 1, Leland
2375 Ocean Highway West, Supply
4956-9 Long Beach Road SE, Southport
Pender County branches
1000 Rhodes Ave., Burgaw
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Deputies, friends mourn Pulliam's death as loss for community
By David Reynolds,
Staff Writer
Published: Sunday, August 10, 2008 at 10:10 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, August 10, 2008 at 10:38 p.m.
A manhunt that began with the murder of a 27-year-old detention officer early
Wednesday morning ended in just 36 hours when the shooter committed suicide.
But several who knew Tarica Pulliam said Sunday that her death will have a
lasting effect on the community.
Outside a remembrance for her Sunday night, several friends described Pulliam
as a young mother who loved her life and had big plans for the future.
"She always wanted to make people smile - she was just a loving person all
around," said Stephanie Price, who knew Pulliam from Hoggard High School.
"It kills me to think of all the missed opportunity."
Pulliam was headed to work at the New Hanover County Jail on Wednesday
morning when she was shot and killed outside her home. Her funeral is Monday
at Union Missionary Baptist Church.
Kali Pearson, Pulliam's cousin, said friends and family around the country are
mourning her death. Pearson, 34, who drove from New York City to attend
services for Pulliam, said she was a kind-hearted person who will be missed.
The crime
Authorities say Pulliam was shot by Anthony Antwand Bowen, 30, a man she
had sought a domestic violence protective order against in April.
At the time of the shooting, Bowen was on bond awaiting trial on charges of
assaulting Pulliam. He also had a record for a prior assault on a woman,
according to court records.
The killing spurred a manhunt, and deputies caught up with Bowen Thursday
afternoon in Onslow County, where he shot himself as police closed in.
At the New Hanover County Jail on Sunday afternoon, a sheriff's office flag flew
at half-staff, and deputies wore black ribbons across the center of their badges.
Sunday evening, deputies in uniform stood outside the Davis Funeral Home
Jordan Memorial Chapel where Pulliam's viewing was held.
Sheriff Sid Causey said Pulliam's murder was a terrible loss for the employees
of his office. Although deputies often encounter tragedy in their work, the killing
of a co-worker makes everyone stop and think, he said.
For two years, Pulliam worked as a jailer, and she was planning to become a
deputy, Causey said.
An injury stopped her from completing a training course, but she planned to try
again in the fall, he said. She was an outstanding employee, Causey said, and
was excited about her future with the sheriff's office.
"She was very determined," he said. "She was small in stature, but she had a lion's
heart. It's just a sad situation."
Remembrance
On Sunday afternoon, the funeral home parking lot at the corner of Fifth Avenue
and Dawson Street was full before the viewing was scheduled to start. People
parked in neighboring lots and in the adjacent neighborhood.
Some of those who came to pay their respects described Pulliam as a fun-loving
friend and determined single mother.
Deidre Jones, 30, of Greensboro, said that she met Pulliam through Pulliam's
sister, Shequana Pulliam, but that she quickly got to know Tarica, who was
outgoing and loved to joke around.
"Just a really good person, from a good family," said Maxine Pender, who
said she knows Pulliam's family through Shoulders Branch Missionary
Baptist Church in Castle Hayne.
Dorothy DeShields said Pulliam was smart and ambitious, but also sweet
and considerate. Her murder is a terrible waste for society, DeShields said.
Price, Pulliam's high school friend, said the feeling of missed opportunity just
compounds the tragic loss of someone who brought joy to those who knew her.
"Her family was robbed, and her community was robbed," Price said. "She
was a great person, and she wanted to do so many things."
David Reynolds: 343-2075
dave.reynolds@starnewsonline.co
Visitation, fund for daughter set for murdered jailer
By Veronica Gonzalez
Staff Writer
Published: Friday, August 8, 2008 at 2:10 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, August 8, 2008 at 4:50 p.m.
A public visitation for Tarica Pulliam will be held Sunday, and people can
donate to a fund for her 7-year-old daughter.
Pulliam, 27, a New Hanover County jailer, was shot to death outside her
apartment at Briarcliff Villas in the northern part of the county on her way
to work Wednesday.
The suspect in her death, her ex-boyfriend, Anthony Antwand Bowen, 30, shot
himself in a wooded area of Onslow County nearly 36 hours later. Pulliam had
taken out a domestic violence protection order on Bowen in April. And he had
been facing charges of assault by strangulation, assault on a female,
second-degree kidnapping and interfering with emergency communications
as a result of that order.
A public visitation for Tarica Pulliam will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday at
Davis Funeral Home Jordan Memorial Chapel, 901 S. Fifth Ave. Funeral services
will be held at noon Monday at Union Missionary Baptist Church, 2711 Princess
Place Drive. That will be followed by a burial at Greenlawn Memorial Park in
Wilmington.
Pulliam's family is asking that in lieu of flowers, people donate to a fund for
her 7-year-old daughter's education. The fund is under Pulliam's name at the
State Employees' Credit Union.
Wilmington branches: 3500 Converse Drive, 6832-A Market St., 210 Racine
Drive, 5011 Randall Parkway.
Brunswick County branches: 1109 New Pointe Blvd. Suite 1, Leland; 2375
Ocean Highway W., Supply; 4956-9 Long Beach Road S.E., Southport.
Pender County branches: 1000 Rhodes Ave., Burgaw.
Additionally, the Texas Roadhouse, 230 Eastwood Road, is hosting a fundraiser to
donate to Pulliam's family. It will be from 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday. Basically, 10
percent of the total sales from meals for that night will be donated to the credit union
fund, said marketing manager Erin Wiant.
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