Dwight Nathaniel Saunders was 33 when he was found shot and pronounced dead on the morning of July 13, 2018, on the edge of Church Street near the rear of the Southern Bank property in Ahoskie, North Carolina. Known as Dwight-Nat, he was born September 24, 1984, in Hertford County and worked as a laborer for B & B Services.

Ahoskie police arrived at 8:25 a.m.; Hertford County EMS personnel performed CPR but Saunders was pronounced dead at the scene. Cola Terrell Harrell, 29, of Ahoskie, was formally charged with first-degree murder, plus felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Police say a search warrant was executed at a nearby residence and evidence collected there has aided the investigation.

The motive remains unclear and the investigation involves multiple local and state agencies.