Onslow Co. Sheriff says DoorDash driver assault suspect lived doors down from attack

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WWAY) — A Jacksonville man appeared in court Tuesday after being arrested in connection with an alleged attack on a DoorDash driver earlier this month.

Stanley Shockley, 44, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill in connection with the Aug. 1 attack.

Onslow County Sheriff Christopher Thomas said during a Tuesday news conference that the incident stemmed from road rage after the victim honked her horn at Shockley while he was stopped at a green light.

“The victim in this case was doing her work as a DoorDash driver and really had done nothing to bring any attention to herself,” Thomas said.

Authorities said Shockley allegedly followed the driver, identified as Christen Phillips. Court documents state Phillips was beaten with an “unknown blunt object.”

Thomas said Shockley lived about six houses away from where the attack happened.

“We served a search warrant at that address and the individual was arrested without any resistance,” Thomas said.

The sheriff said Shockley was driving a black Range Rover. Investigators identified more than 35 registered vehicles matching that description within a 5-mile radius of the attack.

The case prompted dozens of tips from members of the community.

“As random as this was for this individual to be a victim, it got the community very much concerned,” Thomas said.

“Everything from people texting us photos of vehicles that fit the description to random things they may have found on the internet, our detectives looked into all of those,” he added.

Thomas said investigators spent hundreds of hours reviewing surveillance footage and searching locations connected to the case.

“The detectives were able to identify the individual from surveillance cameras at a gas station that they located in the Gum Branch area,” Thomas said.

WWAY spoke with Phillips days after the attack.

“I believe he thought I was dead and he left me for dead, it’s a miracle I woke up,” Phillips said.

Phillips later posted on Facebook that doctors planned to perform a CT scan and that she remained in the intensive care unit as she continued recovering.

Thomas said Shockley has no prior convictions. He is being held without bond at the Onslow County Detention Center.