Howard Maurice Higgins, 40, was found dead from apparent gunshot wounds inside a vehicle on December 24, 2023, in the 1600 block of Flagler Lane in northwest Charlotte. Paramedics pronounced him deceased at the scene in the Oakdale South neighborhood; CMPD officers had responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call at about 11 a.m. The family calls him Moe, says he was a father of three and worked as a party planner, and reports he was returning home when someone approached his car and shot him.

The block experienced an earlier shooting in March 2023 when a 13-year-old boy was injured after a house was sprayed with bullets, but there is no confirmed connection between that incident and Higgins’ killing. CMPD has not released information about suspects or arrests and says the homicide investigation is active. The family has made public pleas for information.

If anyone has information about what happened to Howard Maurice Higgins or saw activity on Flagler Lane that morning, contact the CMPD Homicide Unit or Crime Stoppers.