Des’mon Thompson was a 34-year-old Black man, a father of five, and a local rapper in Charlotte, North Carolina. His mother, Latonya Richardson, did not want him remembered by his final moments, but for his music, his kindness, and his spirit, which she said was “bigger than life.” She described her son as a beautiful and private person who was close to his family.
On the evening of February 8, 2025, Thompson entered the To-Go Food Mart, a gas station on Freedom Drive.
Another man, Gregory Dowana, followed him inside, and the two began to argue. A store worker, seeing a little girl standing between them, moved the child to safety just before the confrontation turned violent. Dowana pepper-sprayed Thompson in the face. In response, Thompson pulled out a gun and ran down an aisle. Dowana then drew two handguns and opened fire.
Thompson was struck by several gunshots. Friends drove him from the scene to a local hospital, but medical staff could not save him. A nurse later told his mother that he had passed away while they were working on him because the blood had stopped pumping to his heart.
Gregory Dowana, 29, remained at the gas station and cooperated with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department when they arrived. He was arrested and charged with murder. In his car, investigators found two handguns, a rifle, extra magazines, ammunition, and a ballistic vest. Police stated that the shooting was connected to a domestic violence situation and that the two men had a prior argument in January, a claim Thompson’s mother disputed, saying her son did not know Dowana.
Dowana was taken to the Law Enforcement Center for questioning before being transferred to the Mecklenburg County jail, where he was held without bond. In June 2026, Gregory Dowana pleaded guilty to killing Des’mon Thompson.
