Seventeen-year-old Demonte Ricks, a Black male from the Butner–Stem area of Granville County, North Carolina, was shot and killed in a drive-by attack on the evening of May 19, 2025, near Little Pond Road outside Stem. Deputies arrived after neighbors and bystanders were performing lifesaving measures; Ricks was pronounced dead at the scene.

Granville County investigators identified a suspect vehicle and the occupants within days. The sheriff’s office says 19-year-old Jose Antonio Flores-Rodrigues fired multiple rounds from a car and struck Ricks, and that those involved knew one another. Flores-Rodrigues and a juvenile believed to have been in the car were arrested without incident in Duplin County the Wednesday after the shooting; both were charged with murder, and the juvenile was charged as an adult. Agencies from several jurisdictions assisted in locating the suspects.

Community reaction included memorial listings and a GoFundMe calling Ricks an honor-roll student. The investigation remained active, and authorities sought any additional footage or information related to the killing. Anyone with information about Demonte Ricks or the shooting is asked to come forward.