Rafael Reyes

Rafael Reyes, a 40-year-old man from Honduras, was an innocent bystander whose life was tragically cut short in the early morning hours of Tuesday, August 18, 2020. He was remembered as a man who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, an uninvolved victim of a dispute that turned fatal in southwest Charlotte, North Carolina.

The incident unfolded around 2:00 a.m. at the City Inn Motel on Nations Ford Road, near Archdale Drive and I-77. A fight had reportedly broken out among a group of people at the motel. According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Rafael was not involved in the altercation in any way. He had apparently come outside to see what the commotion was about when the dispute escalated, and shots were fired.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers who were already in the vicinity heard the gunfire and immediately began searching the area. They discovered two men suffering from gunshot wounds. Emergency medical services were dispatched to the scene, and both victims were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. The second man sustained minor injuries and was expected to make a full recovery. Rafael, however, had been critically wounded. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

The investigation was handled by CMPD Homicide Unit detectives, who quickly classified Rafael’s death as a homicide. Witnesses at the motel described the initial fight that led to the shooting, and investigators began working to identify the person responsible for firing the shots. Within days, police publicly identified a suspect in the case: Dallas Deonta Dawkins, who was 23 years old at the time. Warrants were issued for his arrest.

On September 1, 2020, nearly two weeks after the deadly shooting, Dallas Dawkins voluntarily turned himself in to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office. He was taken into custody without incident and served with the outstanding warrants. Dawkins was charged with murder for the death of Rafael Reyes, as well as assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, and discharging a weapon into an occupied property.

Even after the arrest, CMPD stated that the investigation remained active and ongoing. Major Ryan Butler of the CMPD emphasized Rafael’s innocence in the events that led to his death, stating, “This was somebody in no way shape or form was involved in the altercation that led to the unfortunate outcome.” The case then moved from an active investigation into the hands of the judicial system for prosecution.

As of the last public reports in September 2020, the case against Dallas Dawkins was proceeding through the court system. The community was left to mourn the senseless loss of a man who died simply because he stepped out of his room to witness a disturbance. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has encouraged anyone with further information about the incident to call detectives at 704-432-TIPS or to leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.