In the quiet town of Shelby, North Carolina, the life of 40-year-old Chiquita DeNorris George was tragically cut short on the evening of Thursday, November 6, 2025. The incident unfolded at the Crown Ridge Apartments on South Dale Street, where a 911 call reporting gunfire brought Shelby police officers to the scene at approximately 10:35 p.m. Inside an apartment, they discovered a woman suffering from gunshot wounds to her chest.
Despite the immediate life-saving efforts of first responders, she was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim was identified as Chiquita DeNorris George.
The preliminary investigation quickly revealed that a law enforcement officer from a neighboring jurisdiction was involved in the shooting. This prompted the Shelby Police Department to request the assistance of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to lead the inquiry. The investigation led to the arrest of 37-year-old Mitchell Jermaine Hilton, an off-duty Cleveland County Sheriff's deputy who resided at the same address as the victim.
Hilton was taken into custody and has been charged with first-degree murder in what has been described as a deadly domestic violence incident. Following a court appearance on Friday, November 7, 2025, he was ordered to be held without bond. Records indicate that Hilton had completed his basic law enforcement training in 2023 and was subsequently hired by the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office expressed its deep sadness over the incident involving one of its deputies. As the investigation remains ongoing, further details about the events that led to the fatal shooting have not yet been released to the public.
