Black / African American male Patrick Deavion Shabarr Solomon, 26, was shot at the Sawmill Apartments in Whiteville, North Carolina, on the evening of Friday, July 18, 2025. Officers responded to reports of gunfire at 332 West Hay Street just before 7 p.m.; by the time help arrived, Patrick Solomon had been gravely wounded. He was rushed to Columbus Regional Healthcare, where he died shortly after arrival.
A second victim, 37-year-old Curtis Demetrius Gowans, was also transported for treatment in critical condition.
Patrick Solomon's death date and age were later confirmed in funeral announcements, which recorded his life as March 11, 1999 to July 18, 2025 and noted that he was formerly of Whiteville. Services were held at Union Baptist Church in Lake Waccamaw with burial at Cherry Grove Cemetery, a quiet coda that contrasted sharply with the sudden violence that ended his life.
Within hours of the investigation, police named and arrested a suspect. Authorities took 41-year-old Andre Lionell Barr into custody and charged him with first-degree murder in the killing of Patrick Solomon and attempted first-degree murder in the shooting of Curtis Demetrius Gowans. Officials described the episode as an isolated incident; residents nearby told reporters they heard a rapid volley of shots as evening settled over the complex. Barr was booked into the Columbus County Detention Center as the case moved forward.
