Legend Imir Benjamin, a 17-year-old male, was killed on April 20, 2026, in Kannapolis, North Carolina, after police were called to a shooting on Coldwater Lane. First responders found him suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Some reports described the location as a residence or home on Coldwater Lane, while others described it as an apartment complex, but the consistent account is that officers arrived there around 9 p.m.
and found Legend dead from a gunshot wound.
Legend’s full name was listed in obituary information as Legend Tamin Imir Benjamin. He was born on June 30, 2008, in Cabarrus County to Tamin Rajan Benjamin and Takeisha Nicole Love. He lived in Charlotte and was a student in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system, attending Mallard Creek High School. His death came suddenly and violently, turning what should have been an ordinary spring night into the center of a homicide investigation.
In the first reports after the shooting, Kannapolis police said the incident appeared to be isolated. Investigators were also looking into reports that a red SUV had been seen leaving the area around the time of the shooting. At that early stage, police asked the public for help and directed anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers. The focus of the investigation quickly shifted from a search for information to an arrest after a teenage suspect was identified.
Nehemiah Kentrell Gibson-Rogers, 17, was later charged with murder in connection with Legend’s death. Authorities said Gibson-Rogers turned himself in to Kannapolis police on Thursday night, April 23, 2026. After being taken into custody, he was held in the Cabarrus County Jail with no bond. Reports identified him as the suspect accused of shooting and killing Legend on Coldwater Lane.
As of the available reports, no additional suspects had been publicly named, and police had not released a detailed motive or a full account of what led up to the shooting. The public information centered on the fatal gunshot wound, the Coldwater Lane location, the early description of the case as isolated, the initial search for a red SUV, and the murder charge filed against Gibson-Rogers. The case remained described as developing, with authorities releasing only limited details beyond the arrest and charge.
