Charles Antwan Wade Jr., a 36-year-old man from Kinston, North Carolina, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of Monday, April 27, 2026. Police said the violence unfolded at Carver Courts, where officers with the Kinston Police Department were called at about 12:57 a.m. after receiving a report that someone had suffered a gunshot wound.
When officers arrived at Building 12 of Carver Courts, they found Wade wounded.
Police began life-saving efforts at the scene, but he died from his injuries. Early reports described the case as an active homicide investigation, with detectives following up on leads and asking the public for information.
In the days after the shooting, investigators worked through surveillance footage, forensic search warrants, and witness interviews. That work led police to identify 18-year-old Carmello Tavion Banks of Greenville, North Carolina, as the suspect in Wade’s murder. With assistance from the Greenville Police Department and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Banks was located in Greenville and taken into custody on the morning of April 30, 2026.
Banks was charged with First-Degree Murder in connection with Wade’s death. Police also arrested Latoya Banks, identified as Carmello Banks’ mother, and charged her with Accessory After the Fact to Murder. Authorities did not immediately release booking photos at the time of the arrest announcement.
The investigation remained ongoing after the arrests, and officials did not release a detailed account of what led up to the shooting or disclose a motive. What began as a late-night emergency call at Carver Courts quickly became a murder investigation, and within several days police said their review of evidence and witness information had led them to the Greenville teenager accused of killing Wade.
