Dashawn Ray Gene Dean, 27, was found dead on December 13, 2022, after being discovered unconscious in his vehicle on Moore Road near the East Independence Expressway in Matthews, North Carolina. Officers responding to what was called a car accident arrived about 1:20 p.m. and found Dean with a gunshot wound to the head; first responders pronounced him dead at the scene.

Investigators say Dean was shot while driving in a hotel parking lot and then crashed into a fence. The Matthews Police Department is treating the death as a homicide, has collected evidence and reviewed surveillance footage, and believes the shooting was not random. No arrests have been announced; the department has offered up to a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Friends and family described Dean as a positive, well-respected person. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Matthews Police Department.