On February 14, 2024, 21-year-old Natajah Taj Demetrius Johnson was fatally shot while sitting in his car outside Master Kutz barbershop in west Charlotte, North Carolina. He was waiting for a haircut when another vehicle approached and occupants opened fire with a firearm fitted with an automatic Glock switch, striking Johnson’s car many times. Emergency responders transported him to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries.

Johnson worked at Spare Time Bowling in Huntersville and was preparing to become a father for the first time. Family members described him as hardworking and deeply loved, surrounded by a supportive family who are now grieving his loss.

On February 23, 2024, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department arrested three people in connection with the killing: 21-year-old Khalil Lateef Bass, 22-year-old Kenya Romain Venable Jr., and 23-year-old Akilah Theresa Parham. Bass and Venable were charged with murder and discharging a weapon into occupied property; Parham was charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and filing a false police report after allegedly reporting her vehicle stolen when it had been used in the shooting.

If anyone has information about what happened that day or knew Natajah, please come forward to help the investigation.