Leonard Melvin Lucas was 50 when he was fatally shot during a robbery attempt at a store on Carolina Avenue in Gastonia, North Carolina, on April 26, 1973. He had been helping his wife, who was the acting manager, and often assisted her during late shifts despite being a former employee. Armed robbers entered the store that night and Lucas was shot during the attempted robbery; he later died of his wounds.

The killing remains listed among Gastonia’s unsolved homicides. The shooting left a lasting impact on Lucas’s family and the local community. If anyone has information about the robbery or the people responsible for Leonard Lucas’s death, please come forward.