A Valentine’s week shooting outside a west Charlotte shopping plaza has now led to a long prison term for the man at the center of the case. On Feb. 11, 2026, a Charlotte man was sentenced to 13 to 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting death of a man outside a shopping area on Little Rock Road. The shooting happened on Feb. 14, 2024, in the 2500 block of Little Rock Road, and the victim was later identified by police as Natajah Demetrius Johnson. Judge Donald R. Cureton Jr. handed down the sentence in Mecklenburg County Superior Court.
Guilty plea and sentence
According to The Charlotte Observer, prosecutors said Kenya Romain Venable Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a sentence of 13 to 16 years in prison for his role in the shooting. The plea and sentencing took place in Mecklenburg County Superior Court earlier this week, the paper reported.
Scene and arrests
Per the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, officers were called to an assault-with-a-deadly-weapon report in the 2500 block of Little Rock Road, where they found Johnson suffering from life-threatening injuries. CMPD said detectives later identified and arrested three suspects, Khalil Lateef Bass, Romain Venable Jr. and Akilah Theresa Parham, and that Bass and Venable were charged with murder and discharging a firearm into occupied property.
Affidavit and evidence
Court documents and a police affidavit, as reported by The Charlotte Observer, state that Venable and others fired at a person in another car and that surveillance video captured the shooting. The affidavit also described an abandoned vehicle tied to the investigation, noting bullet holes in the left rear passenger door that traveled from the inside to the outside. In an interview cited by investigators, the affidavit said Venable initially denied being at the scene.
Family and community
Local coverage of the original 2024 case reported that Johnson, often called “Taj” by relatives, was on his way to a barbershop when he was shot, and family members described him as a soon-to-be father who was mourned across the community. Outlets that covered vigils and the early investigation include WSOC and WBTV. Family members and neighbors held vigils and urged anyone with video or information to reach out to investigators.
Legal note
Second-degree murder in North Carolina covers killings that are not first-degree and can include intentional or extremely reckless conduct. The statute defining the offense is set out in state law, and sentencing is governed by the state’s structured-sentencing rules, which vary based on the felony class and a defendant’s prior record, per the North Carolina General Statutes.
What’s next
The CMPD newsroom noted that the investigation remained active after the arrests and asked anyone with information to call the Homicide Unit at 704-432-8477 or contact Crime Stoppers. With Venable’s plea accepted, prosecutors said the case against him is resolved, while any proceedings involving the other defendants will continue through the court system.
