Curtis Massey

Curtis Massey was a 47 year old Charlotte, North Carolina man who died on September 18, 2026 after being shot by a Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department officer during a foot pursuit in the Lincoln Heights area of north Charlotte. His death set off weeks of vigils, marches and public pressure on the police department to release body camera footage, and it became one of the most closely watched local news stories in Charlotte in the autumn of 2026.

Little has been reported publicly about Massey's life before the shooting. News coverage has focused almost entirely on the circumstances of his death and the family's search for answers, rather than on his biography, career or upbringing. He is survived by a wife and three sons, and by his mother, Phyllis Massey, who has spoken publicly about the loss of her only child. Relatives have described him as a son who did not cause trouble, pushing back on early police characterizations of the encounter that led to his death.

The shooting happened on the afternoon of Friday, September 18, 2026. Charlotte Mecklenburg officers were responding to a 911 call about a disturbance in the 1300 block of LaSalle Street, near Newland Road, when they encountered a group of people police said appeared to be involved in a criminal transaction unrelated to the original call. Police said one person in the group, later identified as Massey, began walking away and then ran when officers gave commands to stop. During the chase, police said Massey produced a firearm, dropped it when he fell, picked it back up and turned toward the pursuing officers, at which point Officer Jamal McClain fired, striking him. Massey was given first aid at the scene and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A witness who said she knew Massey gave a different account, claiming he was shot after falling to the ground with the gun exposed in his waistband, and some family members and community members have said he was shot in the back.

Massey's death immediately drew community anger and grief. A vigil and balloon release were held within days, and protesters marched to CMPD's Metro Division station demanding the release of body worn camera footage and a full accounting of what happened. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation took over the inquiry as the lead agency, with CMPD's Internal Affairs Bureau conducting a separate, parallel review, and Officer McClain was placed on paid administrative leave under standard department policy. CMPD Chief Estella Patterson said she had personally reviewed the body camera video and believed it would help the public understand what happened, and the department formally petitioned a North Carolina court for permission to release the footage, which state law requires.

As of this writing, no body camera footage has been made public, and the State Bureau of Investigation's review has not been concluded. The family has said it was not satisfied with the official autopsy findings, noting that multiple witnesses described more gunshots than police have acknowledged, and said it intended to pursue an independent autopsy. A month after the shooting, dozens of people again marched through Charlotte calling for justice in Massey's case, underscoring that the questions his family and supporters have raised remain unresolved.