Freddie Locks, a 23-year-old African American man, was shot and killed on January 24, 2014, at a residence on Chesapeake Road in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He had gone to the home following a domestic dispute and had assaulted a woman who was at the residence. During the confrontation, 26-year-old Harold Allen intervened, retrieved a shotgun and fired at Locks, killing him.

Allen was charged with first-degree murder and held at the Cumberland County Detention Center without bond. Prosecutors argued the use of deadly force was unjustified; the defense said Allen acted in self-defense to protect the woman. The case drew attention because it arose from a domestic dispute and raised questions about when lethal force can be used in defense of others.