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Lorenzo Devonte Gray

Age : 33

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 08/14/2026

Location : South Main Street and Bethpage Road

City : Kannapolis

County : Cabarrus

State : North Carolina

Agency : Kannapolis Police Department

Officer(s) :Justin Smith; Matthew Hoehman

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during attempted carjacking

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/14/2026, 33-year-old Lorenzo Devonte Gray of Kannapolis was shot and killed by Kannapolis Police Department Lt. Justin Smith and Sgt. Matthew Hoehman at the intersection of South Main Street and Bethpage Road in Kannapolis after police responded to a report of a man firing a gun and encountered Gray during an alleged attempt to enter occupied vehicles.
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At approximately 11:40 a.m., Kannapolis police were dispatched to South Main Street near Bell Street after a 911 caller reported that a man was firing a gun. As officers approached South Main Street and Bethpage Road, police alleged that they saw Gray holding a firearm and attempting to carjack vehicles at the intersection.
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A woman who owns a coffee shop at the intersection witnessed the events preceding the shooting and provided WSOC-TV with a more detailed account. She said Gray first attempted to enter one vehicle and then approached a second vehicle directly behind it. According to the witness, the woman driving the second vehicle had locked her doors, preventing Gray from entering.
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The witness said the second driver then accelerated away while Gray was holding onto or attempting to access the rear portion of her vehicle. Gray was pulled along briefly before being thrown from the vehicle. He then moved back in the direction of a nearby apartment complex.
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According to the witness, police had arrived by that point and ordered Gray to stop. She said Gray continued running and she then heard approximately five gunshots.
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Kannapolis police subsequently identified Smith and Hoehman as the officers who fired at Gray. Police have alleged that Gray was armed during the encounter, but the public information released to date does not establish the precise actions that immediately caused Smith and Hoehman to fire. Authorities have not publicly established whether Gray pointed the firearm at either officer, fired at police, was still holding the weapon when he was shot, or what distance separated Gray and the officers when they opened fire.
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Gray was struck by police gunfire and transported to Atrium Health Cabarrus, where he died from his injuries.
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On 08/17/2026, Kannapolis police publicly identified Gray and the two officers who fired. Both Smith and Hoehman were placed on administrative leave while the department conducts an internal review.
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The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is conducting the independent investigation into the fatal shooting. The SBI investigation is expected to document the exact sequence immediately preceding the gunfire, the location and handling of the firearm attributed to Gray, the number of rounds fired by Gray if any, the number of rounds fired by each officer, the officers' positions and distances from Gray, and available body-camera, surveillance and other video evidence.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Sgt. Matthew Hoehman is a Kannapolis Police Department supervisor who was publicly identified as the second officer who shot Gray. Public court records document Hoehman's work with the department by at least January 2020 and identify him as a sergeant in subsequent investigations. A 2023 federal civil-rights lawsuit named Hoehman and another Kannapolis officer over their involvement in a January 2020 encounter at a Kannapolis residence; the existence of the lawsuit does not establish that the allegations against Hoehman were proven.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.qcnews.com/crime-and-public-safety/carjacking-suspect-shot-and-killed-by-kannapolis-officers-police/
https://www.wbtv.com/2026/08/14/armed-carjacking-suspect-killed-by-police-cabarrus-county-officials-say/
https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/suspect-killed-officer-involved-shooting-kannapolis/5GH7NCZZWFHAFCI6GJ47MDVB4M/
https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/police-identify-carjacking-suspect-shot-killed-by-kannapolis-officers/H7LVS7PHX5GMHAH2QXCZAHB44M/
https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/08/14/kpd-officer-kills-armed-carjacking-suspect/
https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/08/17/kannapolis-provides-officer-involved-shooting-update/
https://www.wccbcharlotte.com/2026/08/17/suspect-and-officers-connected-to-officer-involved-shooting-identified/
https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/kannapolis-police-shooting-investigation-attempted-carjacking/275-78b51767-fbd6-4c69-a3b6-b56e9db4cb4a
https://www.kannapolisnc.gov/news/ID/16/Therapy-Dog-Becomes-Newest-Member--of-Kannapolis-Police-Department
https://law.justia.com/cases/north-carolina/court-of-appeals/2024/23-1020.html