Dishon Blount, 26, a Black male, was shot just before midnight on Saturday, September 6, 2025, on the 500 block of East Bright Street in Kinston, North Carolina. Officers responding to reports of gunfire found him suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; despite efforts to save him, he died at the scene. It was Kinston's third homicide of the year, and community leaders publicly urged residents to share information as detectives began piecing together what happened that night.
Within days, investigators identified a suspect and arrested 20-year-old Jataves Ellison on September 18. Warrants and subsequent reporting detailed accusations that Ellison ambushed Blount from behind with a. 40-caliber handgun, blocking his escape with gunfire; Ellison was charged with first-degree murder, malicious assault in secret, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and discharging a firearm in the city. He was taken into custody without incident following the issuance of warrants by Kinston Police detectives.
Detectives also pursued a second person in the case. On September 22, police announced warrants for 25-year-old Drejon Hall on counts of felony aid and abet and felony conspiracy in connection with Blount's killing. According to later reporting, Hall was served with the arrest warrant on September 30 and faced an initial court appearance on October 1.
Loved ones publicly memorialized Blount in the days that followed, confirming his age and date of death. Obituary and remembrance pages recorded his passing on September 6, 2025, and located the services in Kinston, underscoring the community's loss as the case moved forward through the courts.
