Jeffrey Pleasant-Thomas Carter Jr., 39, was fatally shot outside his Hawkins Street home in Gastonia, North Carolina, just before 3 a.m. on April 19, 2025. His wife, Latoya Plant Carter, woke to gunfire and found him unresponsive outside; a bullet narrowly missed her and became embedded in an interior wall. Emergency responders pronounced Carter Jr. dead at the scene, and his death has been ruled a homicide.

At the time he was killed the family was preparing to mark his upcoming 40th birthday and their daughter’s high school graduation. The Gastonia Police Department has not identified any suspects or made arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing. A memorial service was held May 4, 2025, at Grier Funeral Service in Charlotte, North Carolina.

If anyone has information about the shooting on Hawkins Street in Gastonia, please contact the Gastonia Police Department.