On July 9, 2024, at about 11:38 p.m., 18-year-old Kavontae Slate was shot at a Shell gas station in the 3400 block of North Town East Boulevard in Mesquite. Officers found Slate with a gunshot wound to the chest; he was taken to a hospital and later died of his injuries.

Investigators say Slate and his older brother had arranged to meet people at the gas station for a drug deal. Surveillance video showed a white Dodge Journey driven by a woman, with multiple passengers. After a short interaction, 20-year-old Omarey Marshall, seated in the backseat, fired an AR-style rifle at Slate; the vehicle then fled east on Interstate 30. Cell phone records linked Slate and Marshall before the shooting and helped identify Marshall.

On July 10 the Mesquite Police Tactical Team executed a search warrant at a Rowlett residence and arrested Marshall on capital murder charges with bond set at $5 million. A second suspect, 22-year-old Christion James of Rowlett, was arrested on July 16 and charged with murder. The Mesquite Police Department says the investigation is active.

If anyone witnessed the shooting at the Shell station or has information about the Dodge Journey or its occupants, please share what is known.