On the evening of February 23, 2026, 25-year-old Cormani Percel Alston Burnett was found dead inside a vehicle near Highway 48 and Rhea Smith Road in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. Deputies from the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office were called after reports of shots fired shortly before 8 p.m. and discovered Burnett with a fatal gunshot wound in what investigators have classified as a homicide.

The scene includes the parking lot of a local convenience store; the Sheriff’s Office secured the area and has been processing evidence while seeking leads to establish the circumstances of the shooting. No suspects or arrests have been announced. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office or Crimestoppers.

Did anyone in the Roanoke Rapids area see or hear anything that night that could help investigators?