Rashawn Smith faces second-degree murder and conspiracy charges in a fatal Sept. 27 shooting at a McDowell Road housing complex in the Scotland Neck area. Denzel McDaniel and Adam Dickens each face conspiracy to commit second-degree murder and accessory-after-the-fact charges. All three are being held without bond at the Halifax County Detention Center, according to The Daily Herald.
The case began when Halifax County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of shots fired shortly after 1 a.m. on Sept. 27 and found a 37-year-old man dead from apparent gunshot wounds, according to rrdailyherald.com. The investigation was still ongoing, and no suspects had been publicly named in the days immediately after the killing, witn.com reported.
On Oct. 2, detectives developed probable cause for arrest warrants against the three men, according to RRSpin. McDaniel and Dickens were also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. The two were taken into custody and denied bail; RRSpin noted that warrants tied to the shooting were not then available in electronic court records.
How Investigators Located Smith
Smith proved harder to find. Agents and deputies developed probable cause to believe he was hiding at his own residence, and FBI SWAT personnel assisted the sheriff's office in apprehending him there, as reported by The Daily Herald. All three suspects were ultimately served with their outstanding homicide warrants and remanded to the Halifax County Detention Center without bond, the report notes.
The operation also included searches at two locations. The sheriff’s office Special Response Team conducted the searches with the Scotland Neck Police Department and the Nash County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team, according to The Daily Herald. The FBI and Scotland Neck police assisted with the investigation.
Agencies Involved in the Investigation
Sheriff Tyree Davis credited cooperation among local, regional and federal agencies with helping advance the case. He expressed appreciation for the agencies and personnel who took part, according to rrdailyherald.com and RRSpin.
RRSpin reported that the FBI Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Task Force, FBI SWAT and the Halifax County Drug and Gang Task Force were among the agencies involved in the investigation and apprehension. The outlet noted that the Safe Streets Task Force is based in the Raleigh-Durham area.
Next Court Appearance
All three men are scheduled to appear in court Oct. 21, according to rrdailyherald.com. North Carolina law addresses the accessory charge McDaniel and Dickens face under General Statute § 14-7, titled “Accessories after the fact; trial and punishment,” while conspiracy charges fall under General Statute § 14-2.4, “Punishment for conspiracy to commit a felony,” according to the North Carolina General Assembly.
Statewide Homicide Trends
The available statewide figures provide context but do not establish Halifax County’s homicide rate or how it compares with North Carolina overall. The North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Justice Analysis Center reported that homicide declined 8.2% from 2023 to 2024 among agencies that regularly report NIBRS data; preliminary data also showed an 8.2% decline from January through June 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety Criminal Justice Analysis Center.
