Eric Brandon Howell, 29, was found with gunshot wounds near Deep Rock Circle in Charlotte, North Carolina, on July 25, 2021, and was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department initially classified the death as a homicide and opened an investigation.

Howell was a former college basketball player who had played for Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina. The Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office, consulting with the CMPD homicide unit, decided not to pursue charges; on September 9, 2021 prosecutors concluded the available evidence and circumstances would not support taking the case to trial.

Those decisions left key questions about the shooting unresolved for Howell’s family and the community. If anyone has information about what happened near Deep Rock Circle on July 25, 2021, please come forward.