Beloved Asbury Park Barber Was Victim In Route 18 Gun Killing

Lloyd Earl Sanders was known as "Everlasting." It was even on the name of his barber shop. He was also known as the "comeback kid" because he came back from everything. And even with all the troubles in his life, he seemed like he could last forever, his friends say.

The Neptune City man was only several years out of jail, his friends say. He operated a barber shop in Asbury Park. He drove a Mercedes. And he threw birthday parties for poor kids almost on a whim.

That's what makes his Sunday murder on Route 18 so puzzling to his friends, and even investigators. Who would go to these lengths to shoot and kill him, leading Monmouth County authorities on what's become a four-day manhunt?

"It's an unbelievable thing," said his friend, Dwayne Love, who often brought his children to the barber shop. "He didn't come home to die."

Many continued to mourn the beloved barber's passing as the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office continues to search for the gunman, or gunmen, who fired as many as 10 to 15 shots from a moving car into Sanders's vehicle on Route 18. Some kind of altercation happened, and the car ended up smashing into a guardrail, according to the MCPO.

Sanders, the operator of Everlasting's Unisex Hair Salon on Memorial Drive, was driving back from a birthday party when he was gunned down. Route 18 in Colts Neck was shut down for as many as 10 hours as authorities reportedly used a drone in the search.

An active manhunt continues. A 52-year-old passenger was transported to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. He has been treated and released.

Sanders, the driver of a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C350, was pronounced dead at the scene soon after the 1:58 a.m. crash, Christopher Swendeman, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office, told Patch.

Sanders got his "comeback kid" name, and perhaps his "Everlasting" nickname, because he's had trouble with the law for much of the last 30 years. But he always seemed to land on his feet, his friends say.

Sanders first came into trouble when he was young, according to The Asbury Park Press, and he was in and out of prison between 1984 and 1999 for robberies. He also had convictions for criminal sexual contact, shoplifting, theft and drugs.

In 2003, he was charged with attempted murder when he reportedly drove at an officer and then led police on a five-town chase, according to The Asbury Park Press. He would be incarcerated for eight years because of the pursuit, even as the attempted murder charges were dropped.

"I called him the comeback kid," Love said. "That was his gift – whatever was dealt to him, he gave back twofold. The stuff that happened to him would have crippled you and I."

After he left jail, Sanders worked at a barber shop called Golden Clippers and operated the Club Seduction. Then he got his own barber shop, and that's when he really started giving back.

He started throwing birthday parties for children, and he gave jobs to local residents who were also poor. Lots of people, including Love, brought their children to his shop to get their hair clipped.

"He had the ability to do wrong in life and come back twice as good," Love said.

"The hate is real."

If anyone has any information they are asked to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Detective Ryan Mahoney 1-800-533-7443 or Colts Neck Police Department Detective Rich Zarrillo 732-780-7323.

Individuals who feel the need to remain anonymous, but who may have information relevant to this investigation can contact Monmouth County Crime Stoppers confidential telephone tip-line by calling 1-800-671-4400; can text "MONMOUTH" plus their tip to 274637; or, they can email a tip via the website at www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com.Monmouth County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest or conviction of criminals and fugitives.

Photos courtesy of Dwayne Love