A 30-year-old Charlotte man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting death of a 46-year-old security guard who was gunned down during Memorial Day weekend 2025, then drove herself several blocks seeking help before officers found her mortally wounded. Malcom Smith admitted in court this month to killing Deeaudrey Copeland, who worked security at fish table sweepstakes parlors and clubs around Charlotte, and to three counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle.
According to Charlotte Alerts News, Judge Osman sentenced Smith to between 157 and 201 months in prison for the second-degree murder charge, with a consecutive 25-to-42-month sentence for the weapons counts. That additional sentence was suspended pending Smith's successful completion of 36 months of supervised probation once he is released. Smith was arrested for homicide five days after the killing, on May 29, 2025.
The shooting happened at approximately 8:30 p.m. on May 24, 2025, near West Sugar Creek Road and Reagan Drive, according to WCNC. Copeland then drove a dark red sedan several blocks to a convenience store on North Graham Street while calling 911, and officers arriving at that scene found shattered glass and bullet damage on the vehicle. A second passenger in the car also suffered gunshot injuries during the attack but survived after receiving emergency treatment, per the same outlet.
A Moving Crime Scene Complicated the Investigation
CMPD detectives said the case was initially difficult to piece together precisely because the shooting began at one location and the victims fled to another before calling for help, WCNC reported. Physical evidence recovered at the original scene near West Sugar Creek Road and Reagan Drive ultimately helped investigators corroborate witness accounts of what happened. Smith was taken into custody by CMPD's Violent Criminal Apprehension Team, and he was initially charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, and three counts of discharging a weapon into an occupied vehicle, as reported by WSOC-TV.
Under North Carolina law, second-degree murder is defined as an intentional, unlawful killing carried out without premeditation or deliberation, a Class B1 felony that carries standard prison terms of 144 to 300 months depending on a defendant's prior record, according to FindLaw. Smith's plea deal resolved the case with a sentence toward the lower end of that range under the state's structured sentencing guidelines, reducing the charge from the original first-degree murder count filed at his arrest.
Fish Table Arcades Remain a Legal Flashpoint in North Carolina
Copeland's job as a security guard at fish table sweepstakes venues placed her at the center of an industry that operates in a persistent legal gray zone across the state. North Carolina statute bans electronic sweepstakes machines, including arcade fish tables, a prohibition state courts have upheld after finding the games depend on chance rather than skill, WCNC reported in 2024. Commercial cash payouts from the machines are classified by state authorities as illegal gambling.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police have continued targeting these operations. Just three months before Smith's plea, CMPD executed a search warrant at 999 Arcade on East Independence Boulevard, seizing 62 illegal gambling devices along with $37,983 in cash and firearms stationed near the venue's security guard, Hoodline reported. Possession of five or more prohibited machines can carry felony charges under state law.
A Corridor Already Under Scrutiny
The intersection where Copeland was shot has long drawn attention from both residents and police. CMPD CrimeMapper data recorded 151 reports of assaults, thefts, drug activity, and other crimes within a one-mile radius of West Sugar Creek Road and Reagan Drive over a single seven-week span in the summer following the killing, according to WFAE 90.7. Neighborhood residents held community rallies demanding systemic safety reforms in response to the crime levels.
CMPD's North Tryon Division later launched Operation Nite Shade along the Sugar Creek Road and Reagan Drive corridor, an enforcement push that led to 21 arrests and the recovery of weapons and illegal narcotics, WFAE reported. The area is designated as one of Charlotte's six city-funded Corridors of Opportunity for violence interruption. Smith's guilty plea comes as the city recorded 96 homicides in 2025, a 13% drop from 110 the year before, with a 79% homicide clearance rate, according to the City of Charlotte's public safety report.
