Seventeen-year-old Ty’el Hankins of Charlotte was fatally shot on January 26, 2023, while driving on Elwood Street in Kannapolis. After being struck by gunfire around 11 p.m., his vehicle crashed into a residence at Elwood and Cooper. Two other juveniles in the car suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to a local hospital.

Neighbors reported hearing gunshots, then frantic knocking; one resident described a barefoot, mud-covered teenager from the vehicle pleading for help for an injured friend. Kannapolis police arrested a 14-year-old on February 2, 2023; authorities have withheld identifying details because of the suspect’s age and said the attack was not random, indicating the suspect and Hankins were acquainted. Officials have not released a motive or the circumstances that led to the shooting.

A memorial service for Ty’el A. Hankins was held February 8, 2023, in Wilmington. If anyone knew Ty’el, was in that area that night, or has information that could help investigators, please come forward.