The incident forced police to shut down the busy roadway.
Eyewitness Mike Houser, one of dozens of people who called 911 to report the incident, says he won't forget what he saw. He was three or four cars behind a black SUV when he saw it spin out.
"As we were approaching it, we heard a gunshot, saw the person on the right collapse and rolled out of the vehicle," Houser said.
Police say the victim, 21-year-old Frances Sanchez, died from her injuries Tuesday. Investigators say she was getting out of the car when she was shot once in the head.
A man who called 911 right after the shooting says Sanchez was shot by a man in the SUV, but the caller doesn't claim to have witnessed the actual shooting.
Click here to listen to the call
Chopper11 HD was over the scene moments after the shooting. Police blocked the outbound lane of the All-American Freeway leaving Fort Bragg.
Eyewitnesses say after the shooting, a person who appeared to be a soldier, jumped from the vehicle and ran into some nearby woods. He eventually returned to the SUV.
Police say Sanchez's ex-husband -- a Fort Bragg soldier-- was driving the SUV. Investigators took him into custody for questioning.
"When the officer arrived, there was a suspect sitting in the driver's seat of the car," said Gavin MacRoberts, Fayetteville Police Department spokesperson. "The victim was lying outside the passenger side. There were several people around the victim working on her at the time the officer came up to talk with the suspect and took him into custody at that time."
Investigators later released the soldier, since he is not facing any charges at this time.
The incident took place in the outbound lane and traffic leaving Fort Bragg was detoured along Santa Fe Drive and Morganton Road.
Investigators and crime scene technicians spent nearly three hours collecting evidence and going over the crime scene. Just before 6 p.m., officers took down the crime scene tape and reopened the freeway.
The case is still under investigation.
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