On March 21, 2024, at about 6:30 p.m., officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded to an assault with a deadly weapon in the 8000 block of Scottview Drive in Charlotte. They found 53-year-old Robert Long with multiple gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Preliminary information indicates Long and the suspect, 48-year-old Dean Antonio Tate, were known to each other, suggesting the shooting was targeted.

After the homicide, Tate allegedly fired at another person and tried to kidnap her; that woman escaped without physical injury. In the early hours of March 22, officers located Tate’s vehicle in southwest Charlotte. A traffic stop led to a pursuit that ended in the Law Enforcement Center parking lot in Uptown Charlotte, where Tate was taken into custody. He was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, and discharging a firearm into occupied property and transferred to the county sheriff’s custody. The homicide investigation remains active.

If anyone has information about Robert Long, his movements that evening, or the events on Scottview Drive, contact CMPD’s Homicide Unit or submit tips through Crime Stoppers.