Two teens arrested after 16-year-old boy shot and killed trying to save his aunt in drive-by shooting
The Latest:
Authorities say they arrested two juvenile suspects for the murder of Tyshaun Stokes. Their charges are listed below:
- 16-year-old suspect: Charged as an adult with First Degree Murder and Discharging a Weapon into an Occupied Property
- 14-year-old suspect: Secured Custody Order for First Degree Murder
Original Story (Posted August 18, 2025):
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – “He was a good kid. He wasn’t no bad kid. He wasn’t out here like that,” says Latasha Stokes about her son, Tyshaun. He was not a kid who ran the streets, his mom says. He was a helper, who looked after his younger siblings. Latasha says, “I had my baby six months ago. He helps me with my baby while I go to work.”
Early Sunday morning, the 16-year-old tried to help his aunt when bullets started flying outside their northeast Charlotte home. Latoya Stokes says, “He was trying to protect me from getting shot.” He did protect her, but Tyshaun was hit. Latoya says, “He ended up crawling to the door, and I drug him in the house, close(d) the door. We called 911.”
Paramedics couldn’t save him. Tyshaun died at the hospital.
He was loving. Helpful. Funny. Not the type of kid looking for trouble, says his mom. She says, “This was…a very random act of violence.”
Bullets also went into the home on Lambeth Drive, hitting the staircase and a bedroom window where Tyshaun’s young siblings slept. As investigators work to track down the shooters, Latasha is now preparing for her son’s funeral. A family member has set up a GoFundMe to help raise money for a proper burial. Stokes has this message for her son’s killer: “You’re going to get caught anyway. Just please, just please turn yourself in. Just please turn yourself in, for the sake of my son.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police say this is an active and ongoing investigation. If you have any information, call 704-432-8477.
