Shabazz Mesiah Grant, a 34-year-old Black male, was shot in northwest Charlotte on October 23, 2025, during a rolling sequence of crimes that began around 4 p.m. near Hoskins Road and Black Avenue. Grant—a rideshare driver working in the area—was found alongside another victim, 38-year-old Justin Westbrook Carlton, who died shortly after being taken to the hospital. Grant was rushed from the scene with critical injuries.
He died days later on Sunday, October 26, at a local hospital, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.
Detectives identified 28-year-old Joseph Andrade as the suspect in the shootings. After the initial attack, police say Andrade forced his way into a home, kidnapped a woman, and fled in a stolen vehicle. Officers located the vehicle and a pursuit followed; during the chase, Andrade fired at officers, who returned fire. The suspect was ultimately shot and killed by police, bringing the spree to an end later that day. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the officer-involved shooting while CMPD leads the homicide investigation tied to the earlier attacks.
Grant’s death deepened the toll of the spree on Charlotte’s west side, which had already claimed Carlton’s life and terrorized residents with reports of a home invasion, kidnapping, and gunfire. In the days that followed, local coverage and family remembrances described Grant as a hardworking rideshare driver and devoted father whose life was cut short while on the job. Community grief swelled as news outlets confirmed his death and CMPD updated the case timeline and identifications.
As to arrests, police have not reported any because the identified suspect, Andrade, died after exchanging gunfire with officers. Investigators continue to handle the homicide and associated incidents as a closed-suspect case, with the SBI conducting the independent review of the police shooting and CMPD maintaining the lead on the criminal investigation surrounding the earlier homicides.
