Samori Husamudeen, a 25-year-old Black / African American male from Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed on the evening of December 26, 2024, while working as a DoorDash delivery driver. Shortly after 8:15 p.m., Fayetteville police were called to the McDonald’s at 5009 Santa Fe Drive after reports of a shooting inside the restaurant. Officers found Husamudeen suffering from gunshot wounds, and emergency medical personnel attempted to assist him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Husamudeen had gone to the restaurant to pick up a delivery order when an encounter with McDonald’s employee Kevin J. Holland escalated into a confrontation.
Investigators said Husamudeen and Holland became involved in a verbal altercation inside the restaurant, although authorities did not publicly establish what initially caused the dispute. Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West later said the circumstances appeared to involve an argument that escalated into deadly violence. According to investigators, Holland retrieved a firearm from somewhere inside the McDonald’s and opened fire on Husamudeen, striking him multiple times. Authorities later confirmed that Husamudeen was unarmed.
Details disclosed in a later arrest warrant provided a more specific account of the shooting. Surveillance footage was described as showing Husamudeen and Holland shouting at one another inside the restaurant. A short time later, Holland allegedly walked behind Husamudeen, pulled out a handgun and pointed it toward his back. The warrant stated that Holland fired several shots while holding the weapon with one hand, then gripped the gun with both hands and fired additional rounds. Holland then left the restaurant on foot before police arrived.
Holland quickly became the primary suspect. Fayetteville investigators obtained warrants charging him with first-degree murder and initially warned that he should be considered armed and dangerous. Roughly 17 hours after the killing, police located Holland at a Walmart in nearby Spring Lake on December 27. He was arrested and taken to the Cumberland County Detention Center. Holland made his first court appearance on December 30, where a judge denied bond because of the seriousness of the charge, his departure from the scene and the fact that Husamudeen had not been armed. Holland reportedly had no prior criminal history. The judge advised that a first-degree murder conviction could potentially expose him to life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Husamudeen’s death devastated a family that described him as devoted to his children and capable of bringing warmth to the people around him. He was the father of four children, and relatives remembered him as kindhearted, family-oriented and someone who continued to smile despite difficulties in life. DoorDash issued a statement expressing condolences to his loved ones and said the company was prepared to assist law enforcement. The operator of the McDonald’s also described the shooting as shocking and said the restaurant was cooperating with investigators while offering counseling resources to employees.
The investigation later expanded beyond Holland. Detectives determined that several shell casings appeared to have been removed from the crime scene after the shooting. Although surveillance and investigative evidence indicated that numerous shots had been fired, police said they recovered only one shell casing when processing the restaurant. Investigators subsequently focused on Shahidah Burrows, identified in news reports as Holland’s mother.
According to an arrest warrant, surveillance footage showed Burrows outside the McDonald’s following the shooting. Investigators alleged that she obtained a napkin and used it to pick up several shell casings before placing the napkin and casings into her pocket. Authorities accused her of interfering with the homicide investigation by removing potential evidence connected to the gunfire. Warrants were issued for her arrest.
Burrows was later located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where Pennsylvania State Police arrested her on the outstanding Fayetteville warrants. She was extradited to North Carolina in February 2025 and charged with accessory after the fact and felony obstruction of justice. She was booked into the Cumberland County Detention Center under a $100,000 secured bond. Her arrest added a second defendant to the case, although the allegations against her concerned the aftermath of the shooting rather than participation in the killing itself.
Holland remained accused of being the gunman and faced the first-degree murder charge arising from Husamudeen’s death. Burrows faced separate allegations that she attempted to conceal or remove evidence after the shooting. Publicly available reporting located through August 2026 did not establish that Holland had been convicted, acquitted or sentenced, nor did it identify a completed trial or final disposition in the murder case. The available reporting likewise did not show a final conviction or sentencing outcome for Burrows.
