Ina Michelle Lang, a 50-year-old female, had dedicated nearly two decades of her life to her job at Bank of America. On the morning of Friday, February 6, 2026, she was outside the branch on Callabridge Court in northwest Charlotte, believed to be on a smoke break, when her life was abruptly ended. Around 10:30 a.m., she was shot and killed on the sidewalk near the ATM in what police have described as a random act of violence.
Emergency services responded to multiple 911 calls, but Lang was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound.
The senseless act left her family, including her husband and five children, and her colleagues devastated. Coworkers remembered her as a strong employee with a motherly spirit who treated her team like family. She was known for her infectious smile and for always being willing to help customers, having worked her way up from a teller to an office position during her long tenure at the bank. Her husband of eight years described her as his everything, his first and last love. A memorial with flowers and candles grew outside the bank as customers and friends mourned her loss.
The investigation into the shooting moved quickly. Witnesses reported hearing two gunshots and seeing a person get into a yellow Dodge Charger with black racing stripes and drive away. Bank surveillance footage reportedly captured the suspect getting out of the car, walking directly to Lang, shooting her twice in the back, and then leaving the scene. Acting on this critical information, police tracked a vehicle matching the description to a house near the Charlotte airport.
Later that same day, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police arrested 22-year-old Sam'on Andrew Smith in connection with the homicide. He was taken into custody at his mother's house and has been charged with first-degree murder. Smith is being held without bond. His prior criminal history in North Carolina appears to be minor, consisting of two citations for a concealed weapon and a traffic violation. A motive for the shooting has not been disclosed by authorities.
