Dionte Jashea Murph, a 23-year-old man from Newton, North Carolina, was a father of two, a son, and a brother. Born on February 23, 2003, to Dominic Allan Campbell and Ebony Latorya Muprh Campbell, he was known as "DJ" to his loved ones. Dionte was a father to his son, Ja'Sani Murph, and his daughter, Marlei Porter. He was predeceased by a son, Cyn'Cere Murph, his grandmothers, and a brother, Damarion Sharpe.
He is survived by his parents, children, great-grandparents, grandfather, and siblings, along with a larger circle of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who mourned his sudden and tragic death.
The evening of Wednesday, October 14, 2026, turned fatal in a residential neighborhood in Hickory, North Carolina. Between 6:40 and 6:51 p.m., gunfire erupted in the 600 block of 14th Street SW. When Hickory Police Department officers responded to reports of a shooting, they found Dionte with a life-threatening gunshot wound. Emergency services transported him to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased. A second victim, 19-year-old Phalen Devon Izard Jr., was also shot during the incident. Izard traveled to a local hospital on his own for treatment of a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. What led to the shooting was not immediately clear to investigators.
The Hickory Police Department launched a homicide investigation, and the case quickly saw developments. Investigators identified two suspects and requested the public's help in locating them. Warrants were issued for 18-year-old Deandre Moore and 20-year-old Jamarion Kevonte Lackey on charges of murder and attempted murder. Police described Lackey as being 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes, and a distinctive tattoo on his right forearm that reads “Loyalty for Life” with an angel.
On Monday, October 19, 2026, five days after the shooting, authorities made an arrest. Deandre Moore was taken into custody in the town of Drexel, North Carolina. The arrest was a coordinated effort involving the Drexel Police Department and the Burke County Sheriff's Office. Moore was charged with first-degree murder for the death of Dionte Murph and attempted first-degree murder for the shooting of Phalen Izard Jr. He was subsequently held at the Catawba County Detention Facility under no bond.
Following Moore's arrest, the search for the second suspect continued. As of late October 2026, Jamarion Kevonte Lackey remained at large, with police warning that he should be considered armed and dangerous. The Hickory Police Department urged anyone with information about Lackey's whereabouts to come forward.
Family and friends gathered to remember Dionte Murph's life. A visitation was held on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at Bass-Smith Funeral Home in Hickory, followed by a celebration of life service at the same location. The case remains in litigation. As of the latest available reports from October 2026, one suspect was in custody awaiting legal proceedings while the other was still being sought by law enforcement. Anyone with information regarding the case or the whereabouts of Jamarion Lackey is asked to contact the Hickory Police Department at 828-328-5551 or Investigator R. Helderman at 828-261-2621 or via email at [email protected].
