More than 13 months after a gunman killed a bartender outside an Uptown Charlotte nightclub on his 37th birthday, a third suspect is now facing a first-degree murder charge. Court documents show 18-year-old Tevin Stevenson was arrested Wednesday and charged in the death of Arleigh Bryant, who was shot outside Encore Nightclub on North College Street in the early morning hours of July 14, 2025.
Stevenson is accused of killing Bryant, who was working as a bartender at the club and was shot on his break outside the venue, according to WSOC-TV. Loved ones described Bryant as a dedicated father who was working to support his family, according to WCNC. Stevenson is now being held in the Mecklenburg County jail without bond and is due back in court in September, per court records cited by WSOC-TV.
A Year-Long Gap Between Arrests
Stevenson's arrest closes a striking gap in the timeline of a case that began the night of the shooting, when the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department arrested two other men in connection with the incident. Investigators recovered seven firearms from the scene outside Encore Nightclub, illustrating the scale of gunfire that erupted as patrons were leaving the club at closing time, the station's report noted.
Those two men, 25-year-old Damien Evans Jr. and 24-year-old Shawn Cannon, were charged with felony firearm possession and evading arrest at the time, but neither was charged with murder. Cannon was held on a $3 million bond while Evans was held without bond, per the same account. It remains unclear whether either man faces additional or upgraded charges now that Stevenson has been charged with murder, and the exact relationship between Stevenson and the two earlier suspects has not been detailed publicly.
Five Others Wounded in the Gunfire
Beyond Bryant's death, five other people were injured in the shooting: two 19-year-old men, a 25-year-old man, a 29-year-old man, and a 32-year-old woman, according to the earlier WCNC report. Three of the wounded were taken to hospitals by emergency medical services, while two got themselves to care. Off-duty Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were already stationed on College Street providing security for nearby nightlife venues when the gunfire broke out around 2 a.m., the outlet reported, with police noting the violence erupted rapidly despite officers' proximity.
Encore Nightclub, located at 314 North College Street in Uptown's First Ward, issued a statement after the shooting saying the violence did not originate from any conflict inside the venue, according to the report. Management expressed condolences and said it was cooperating fully with police.
Why Stevenson Faces Adult Charges
Because Stevenson was 17 years old at the time of the shooting, his prosecution as an adult hinges on North Carolina's statutory transfer rules. Under state law, Class A felony offenses such as first-degree murder committed by 16- or 17-year-olds require mandatory transfer from juvenile jurisdiction to adult Superior Court upon indictment or a probable cause finding, a framework tied to updates the General Assembly made to the state's Raise the Age legislation.
Under North Carolina General Statute § 14-17, first-degree murder is a Class A felony that carries mandatory life imprisonment without parole or capital punishment for adult offenders, though defendants under 18 at the time of the crime are subject to distinct juvenile sentencing considerations under state law.
Part of a Violent Stretch in Uptown
The Encore shooting was the third high-profile violent incident in Uptown Charlotte within a nine-day span in July 2025, following a July 5 nightclub shooting on North Caldwell Street and a July 6 officer-involved shooting on North Church Street, as reported by WSOC-TV. The rapid succession of shootings drew intense scrutiny from residents and civic leaders at the time.
That summer's violence sparked concern among Uptown business leaders, city officials, and residents over center-city safety, prompting renewed calls for increased police presence and nightlife security measures, according to Axios Charlotte. Local leaders at the time worried perceptions of violence could damage tourism and nighttime commercial activity in the district. Hoodline previously covered the initial arrests and community mourning in the days after the shooting. What sparked the gunfire that ultimately killed Bryant remains an open question in the case, even as Stevenson now heads toward a September court date.
