On February 14, 2024, at approximately 7 p.m., 36-year-old Donte Jemal Lucas was fatally shot in the head outside the Time Saver convenience store located at the intersection of Murchison and Shaw roads in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Emergency responders transported Lucas to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Surveillance footage from the convenience store revealed that Lucas approached two men outside the establishment, one of whom was wearing a blue and
red face mask. As Lucas neared, the masked individual drew a firearm and shot him in the forehead before fleeing the scene. Further review of the footage showed that the suspect had entered the store 30 to 40 minutes earlier without the mask, providing investigators with clear images of his face.
Through tips and database searches, authorities identified the suspect as 23-year-old Tayshon Amonte Covington, known by the nickname "Kodiak." On February 26, 2024, Covington was apprehended by U.S. Marshals and the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force at an apartment in Garner, North Carolina. He was charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bail in the Cumberland County jail.
The investigation into the motive behind Lucas's murder is ongoing. Authorities continue to seek information from the public to piece together the events leading up to the shooting. Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to contact Detective J. Bergamine at 910-705-2093 or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 910-483-8477.
