Deionte Dee Sparkman was 19 when he was shot and killed on May 16, 2022, in Gastonia, North Carolina. He was walking home with a friend from the Highland neighborhood when the shooting occurred. Deionte graduated from Warlick Academy in 2021, worked at a local Wendy’s, and had planned to enroll in community college classes.

Two people were arrested in connection with the case. Ja’Kelon Duval, 19, was charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder; he turned himself in and was booked into Gaston County Jail without bond. Mary Elizabeth Bentley, 20, of Clover, South Carolina, was charged with first-degree murder for allegedly driving the getaway car. Both remained in custody without bond as the Gastonia Police Department investigated the relationships among Duval, Bentley, and the victims.

Deionte’s parents, Shedennia Clark-Peoples and Steven Peoples, Sr., and his siblings have been left devastated. His mother, Nikki Clark-Peoples, said she forgave Duval despite feeling betrayed because Duval had once been a close friend of Deionte. Does anyone who knew Deionte or who was in the Highland neighborhood that night have information to share?