On the evening of September 23, 2026, a violent shooting at an apartment complex in west Charlotte, North Carolina, claimed the life of De'Jaun Rashawd Harris, a 25-year-old man whose birthday was just six days away. Harris was one of two people fatally wounded when gunfire erupted shortly before 6:00 p.m. in the 3100 block of Nobles Avenue, near Leake Street and West Boulevard.
The shooting occurred in the area of the Little Rock Apartments, leaving two people dead, another seriously shaken by the violence, and a child injured in a related vehicle incident.
Officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded to reports of an assault with a deadly weapon involving injuries. When they arrived, they encountered a chaotic scene involving multiple victims. Two people had sustained gunshot wounds, while a juvenile had been struck by a vehicle. Emergency medical personnel transported the wounded individuals to nearby hospitals. One shooting victim was suffering from life-threatening injuries, while another had injuries initially described as non-life-threatening. Investigators subsequently learned that an additional gunshot victim had reached a hospital independently. Two of the shooting victims, Harris and 26-year-old De'Andre Shamel-Antoine Patton, were pronounced dead at the hospital.
A third shooting victim, identified in subsequent reporting as a 27-year-old man, survived the attack. He was hospitalized and recovering from his injuries. A nine-year-old child who had been struck by a vehicle during the incident was also transported for medical treatment. Authorities reported that the child's injuries were not considered life-threatening. The circumstances surrounding the vehicle collision remained an important part of the investigation, particularly whether it was directly connected to the gunfire or occurred during the confusion that followed.
As investigators worked to reconstruct the events, CMPD Major Michael Ford indicated that the violence appeared to have stemmed from an altercation involving individuals at the scene. Authorities initially believed the shooting was an isolated incident rather than a random attack. However, investigators did not publicly establish precisely what triggered the confrontation, who initiated the gunfire, or whether the victims had been deliberately targeted. The identities of those responsible and the circumstances that escalated the confrontation into deadly violence remained unanswered questions.
The deaths of Harris and Patton prompted a double-homicide investigation by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Homicide Unit. Crime scene investigators examined the apartment complex and surrounding area, collecting physical evidence and attempting to determine the sequence of events. Detectives also worked to establish how the shooting and the vehicle collision were connected. Representatives from CMPD's Operations Command, Victim Services, the Charlotte Fire Department, and emergency medical services assisted during the initial response.
Authorities identified Harris and Patton publicly on September 24, 2026, after notifying their families. The two victims were described in subsequent local reporting as friends, making their deaths part of the same devastating incident. Harris had been born on September 29, 2000, and was approaching his 26th birthday when his life was abruptly ended. His death came during what should have been a time of celebration, leaving those who knew him mourning instead.
Following his death, arrangements were made through House of Rosadale Home of Funerals in Charlotte. A public viewing and funeral service were scheduled for October 10, 2026, at Pleasant Grove AME Zion Church in Concord, North Carolina. Online memorials also provided a place for people to remember Harris, affectionately referred to by contributors as "Dae Dae," and to express their grief over his sudden death.
Despite the investigation, authorities had not publicly identified a suspect in the initial reports. An October 11, 2026, account of the shooting indicated that no arrests had been made. No subsequent publicly confirmed arrests, criminal charges, indictments, trials, or convictions connected to Harris's killing were identified as of October 22, 2026. Investigators had not publicly disclosed a definitive motive or established who fired the fatal shots.
Detective Condron was identified as the lead investigator assigned to the case. Authorities encouraged anyone with information about the September 23 shooting to contact CMPD's Homicide Unit at 704-432-8477 or provide information anonymously through Charlotte Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. The investigation was documented under CMPD report number 20260923-1759-03.
The shooting left two families grieving, another victim recovering from gunshot wounds, and a child injured amid the violence. For those who knew Harris, the tragedy carried particular significance because it happened less than a week before his birthday. While detectives continued searching for answers, the central questions surrounding the confrontation, the identities of those responsible, and the circumstances that led to the deaths of Harris and Patton remained unresolved in publicly available reporting.
