On April 19, 2024, at approximately 3:00 a.m., 45-year-old Jamal De Shannon Dade was fatally shot in the parking lot of the Embassy Suites hotel on South Tryon Street in Charlotte, North Carolina. Emergency responders transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department swiftly identified the suspect as Dade's ex-wife, 41-year-old Shemeka Nicole Dade. She was arrested at the scene and charged with murder.
The couple had recently finalized their divorce on April 9, 2024, just ten days prior to the incident.
Eyewitness accounts and court documents reveal that an argument between Jamal and Shemeka escalated in the hotel parking lot. A witness reported seeing Jamal spit at Shemeka from the passenger side of a car. Shemeka then allegedly pointed a gun at him, to which Jamal responded by telling her to shoot. She subsequently fired a single shot, striking him in the head. Shemeka remained at the scene until police arrived.
The couple's relationship had been tumultuous in the years leading up to the shooting. In 2020, Jamal referred to Shemeka as a "headache," and in 2023, he was arrested on charges of assault on a female. Despite their separation, they shared children together, whose custody arrangements remain unclear following the incident.
Shemeka was taken into custody by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, and the investigation remains active and ongoing. Authorities have not indicated that they are seeking any additional suspects in connection with the case.
