On July 16, 2024, at about 11:45 p.m., 18-year-old Damien Carter Senesaynho was fatally shot in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Officers responding to reports of gunfire found a vehicle that had crashed into an apartment building near Caribbean Court and Westgreen Drive; Senesaynho, the driver, was discovered deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. Two passengers were in the vehicle: 20-year-old Carson Lee James, who was shot and taken to hospital, and 16-year-old Jose Eduardo Castro, who suffered minor injuries in the crash.

Family members described the incident as a robbery gone wrong. Witnesses reportedly saw Senesaynho running as shots were fired and then the vehicle striking a tree. James was left blind after being shot in the eye, and Castro has said he played dead to avoid being shot. Investigators later identified an Instagram account allegedly connected to the homicide that was deactivated shortly after the shooting, and arrests of three juveniles were reported on October 1, 2024.

Senesaynho’s family and friends remember him for outdoor activities such as going to the lake, the beach, and shooting at the gun range. The investigation remains ongoing; anyone with information is asked to contact authorities.