On February 13, 2018, Ramiro Marin Mendoza, a 39-year-old Hispanic male, was found dead on Mount Vernon Avenue in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Mendoza was discovered near his vehicle, having been shot multiple times. The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m., and police were called to the scene after reports of gunshots in the area. Witnesses reported seeing two men, one of whom was later identified as Antione Rasha Majett, with guns at the scene. Majett, a 19-year-old African American male, was later arrested and charged with the murder of Mendoza.
The investigation revealed that the murder took place in front of a home suspected of being a location for regular drug deals. A witness at the scene stated that they had gone to the area to buy drugs but were unable to do so. The witness saw Mendoza sitting in his SUV while two other men, who appeared to know him, got out of a Mustang and walked up to the house. The witness then saw Majett and another unidentified person force Mendoza out of his vehicle before Majett shot him. The two other men fled the scene on foot after the shooting.
Further investigation uncovered that the incident was related to a large cocaine transaction. Another witness claimed that they had come to the house with Mendoza to buy marijuana and saw someone shooting Mendoza. This witness, however, was not entirely truthful about their level of involvement in the shooting or the drug transaction taking place. The District Attorney's office stated that this witness's account was inconsistent and unreliable.
Antione Rasha Majett was arrested at his home on February 16, 2018, with the assistance of the United States Marshal's Service. He was charged with general murder and held at the Forsyth County Detention Center without bail. Majett later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to between 141 and 182 months in prison. The case highlighted the dangerous intersection of drug-related activities and violent crime in the area, leading to increased law enforcement efforts to address these issues.
