A Charlotte community is grieving after longtime Bank of America employee Ina Michelle Lang was shot and killed in what police describe as a random attack. A 22-year-old suspect has been arrested and denied bond.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Friday morning turned into a nightmare in northwest Charlotte after a longtime Bank of America employee was shot and killed in what police are calling a senseless and seemingly random attack.
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Victim Identified: Devoted Mom, Familiar Face at the Bank
The victim has been identified as Ina Michelle Lang, 50 — a wife, mother of five, and nearly 20-year employee at the local Bank of America branch.
Friends say Lang wasn’t just a bank worker — she was the kind of person who remembered your name, asked about your kids, and made customers feel like family. Co-workers described her as a “ray of sunshine” who walked into work every day with a smile and left a lasting impression on anyone she met.
Now that same community is grieving her sudden and violent death.
According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, officers responded around 10:30 a.m. Friday to reports of gunfire in the 9700 block of Callabridge Court near Brookshire Boulevard. When police arrived, Lang was suffering from gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators say surveillance video shows the suspect walking up to Lang and shooting her twice in the back before calmly fleeing in a vehicle. Witnesses reported hearing the shots and seeing a car speed away.
Police later tracked that vehicle — described in court as a yellow Dodge Charger — to a 22-year-old suspect.
Authorities arrested Sam’on Andrew Smith, 22, and charged him with first-degree murder.
During his first court appearance Monday, a judge denied bond, citing public safety concerns. Court documents allege Smith drove directly to the bank, approached Lang, and opened fire. Prosecutors also revealed that multiple firearms were recovered from his home during the arrest.
Outside the bank, a growing memorial of flowers, candles, and handwritten notes now marks the spot where Lang lost her life.
The branch remained closed Monday as employees gathered to grieve privately.
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Co-workers have also launched a fundraiser to support Lang’s husband and five children, describing her as generous, compassionate, and the glue that held the workplace together.
