Jahlen McDonald, 25, was found mortally wounded just after midnight on Saturday, May 31, 2025, inside a home on the 9300 block of Broken Pine Lane in north Charlotte. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call discovered him at the scene; he was pronounced dead there. Detectives from CMPD’s Homicide Unit took over the investigation and canvassed the neighborhood to piece together the final movements that led to the gunfire.

Court filings note there had been an argument with a woman inside the residence before the shooting. Within hours detectives identified and arrested 24-year-old Thomas Cartee III; police booked him that day on charges of murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon, indicating investigators believe the killing was tied to a robbery at the home. The family began planning public memorials as detectives continued to develop the case.

If anyone has information about what happened at the Broken Pine Lane residence that night, please share what you know with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.