Malik Boyd, a 20-year-old African American man, was found dead on April 21, 2022, near Albemarle Road Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Officers responding to a report of a suspicious person on Riding Trail Road located Boyd with apparent trauma; he died shortly after being found.

A 16-year-old was arrested in connection with the killing and charged with first-degree murder; the juvenile was taken into custody on April 29, 2022, interviewed by homicide detectives and transferred to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office. Boyd’s father, Claude Lucas, has said both young men were in the same gang and has criticized a prosecutor’s decision to offer a plea deal reducing the charge to manslaughter, calling the proposed punishment insufficient.

The arraignment for the suspect is scheduled for April and the investigation remains open. Anyone with information about what happened is asked to contact investigators.