Brianye Danielle Copeland was a 27-year-old Black woman remembered by family as ambitious, graceful, and deeply caring. A collegiate basketball player at Central State University, she was found fatally shot in her vehicle just before 10 a.m. on February 7, 2025, in the parking lot of the Ella B. Scarborough Community Resource Center on Stitt Road in Charlotte, North Carolina. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department treated the death as a homicide and quickly identified a suspect. Kristopher Anthony Sinclair, 38, was located at an apartment complex near the crime scene with the assistance of witnesses and surveillance footage and taken into custody. Hell. Court documents do not specify when or where the note was written; Sinclair was initially charged with first-degree murder and denied bond.

Brianye’s family and friends mourned publicly, gathering in the rain to release balloons and remember her infectious smile and upbeat personality. If anyone knew Brianye, saw her that morning, or has information about the case, please come forward.