DeAngelo Dumas

De’Angelo Dante Dumas was a young man with a smile that could make it difficult to stay upset with him. At 20 years old, the Charlotte, North Carolina native was a father who, by the accounts of those who knew him, was actively making positive changes in his life. He was remembered as a special young man, known to some as "Dante," who had a real joy about him. One mentor who worked with him from the age of 12 to 18 recalled how De'Angelo would often part with the words, "I love you... you keep it real." He was a Black man whose life, filled with promise and recent positive momentum, was cut tragically short.

On the night of Wednesday, June 17, 2015, violence erupted in a neighborhood in east Charlotte. Around 10:30 p.m., officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded to reports of a shooting in the 1800 block of Finchley Drive. When they arrived at the scene, they found De'Angelo suffering from a gunshot wound. Emergency medical services were unable to save him, and De'Angelo Dumas was pronounced dead at the location where he was shot. No other injuries were reported in the incident that took his life.

The investigation into the city's latest homicide was launched immediately by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Detectives began canvassing the neighborhood for witnesses and evidence, working to piece together the events that led to the fatal shooting. The initial hours and days of a homicide investigation are often critical, as law enforcement works to identify a suspect and prevent them from fleeing or causing further harm. The department dedicated its resources to finding the person responsible for De'Angelo's death and bringing a measure of answers to his grieving family.

Their work yielded a significant breakthrough just two days later. On Friday, June 19, 2015, detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department located and arrested a suspect in the case. The man taken into custody was identified as 32-year-old Khenti Asaru El. Following his arrest, El was charged with one count of murder in connection with the death of De'Angelo Dumas. The arrest marked a swift and crucial step in the investigative process, signaling a move toward the judicial phase of the case.

While the criminal justice process began, De'Angelo's loved ones prepared to say their final goodbyes. A funeral service was held for him on Saturday, June 27, 2015, at the Greater Gethsemane AME Zion Church on Campus Street in Charlotte. A visitation for family and friends was held just before the 11:00 a.m. service. In a guestbook for his obituary, a mentor named Glenda Strong shared a heartfelt message, remembering his pride in his children and the pain he carried in his heart. "My God bless you and Keep you safe Now sweetheart," she wrote. "You have earn your wings now fly and watch over your little ones."

Following the arrest of Khenti Asaru El, the case entered the court system. The "solved" status of the case is noted as "litigation," indicating that the resolution came through the legal process. However, the specific details of the outcome of the murder charge against Khenti Asaru El, such as a trial verdict or plea agreement, are not detailed in publicly available records as of late 2024. The case remains a somber reminder of a young life lost to violence, leaving a family to navigate a future without a son and a father who was just beginning to forge a new path.