On the evening of September 23, 2022, 56-year-old Ralph Hammond was found fatally shot near his home on Deaton Hill Drive in Charlotte, North Carolina. Authorities arrived just before 10 p.m. after reports of an injured person and discovered Hammond with multiple gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department opened a homicide investigation.

Hammond, born June 24, 1966, in Newburgh, New York, graduated from East Bladen High School in Elizabethtown and served in the U.S. Army as a Combat Engineer. In Charlotte he volunteered as a football coach and mentor at Mallard Creek High School, often converting his garage into a gym and providing clothing and equipment to athletes. Family and the school district remember him as selfless and committed to youth.

Detective Daniel Moore said the assailant appeared to have targeted Hammond and may have been familiar with his habits; investigators have not identified anyone with known conflicts with him. As of May 2024 the case remained unsolved. If anyone knew Ralph Hammond, his routines, or has information that could help the investigation, please come forward.