Taquawn Lewis is charged with first-degree murder after CMPD says 16-year-old Joseph Samuel was pistol-whipped and fatally shot on Tom Hunter Road in Charlotte.
A 28-year-old Charlotte man has been charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy in northeast Charlotte.
According to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department warrant affidavit, Taquawn Tykeem Lewis, also known as “Buck,” is accused of shooting and killing Joseph Samuel on May 19, 2026.
Lewis was arrested on May 21, 2026, in Bostic, North Carolina, with assistance from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. He has been transferred to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
TEEN FOUND SHOT ON TOM HUNTER ROAD
On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at approximately 2:38 p.m., CMPD officers responded to the 118 block of Tom Hunter Road near North Tryon Street after receiving a report of an assault with a deadly weapon.
When officers arrived, they located 16-year-old Joseph Samuel unresponsive and suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Samuel was transported by MEDIC to Atrium Health Main, where he was pronounced dead.
Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators responded to the scene. Detectives determined that Samuel had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and back. He also had a laceration above his eyebrow and an open wound above his right eye.
Crime scene investigators recovered a spent .556 caliber discharged cartridge casing from the location.
WITNESS DESCRIBES GUNMAN PULLING RIFLE FROM BACKPACK
According to the warrant affidavit, a witness identified as Daniel Snell was standing with Samuel when the shooting occurred. Snell told police that a man approached them on foot while wearing a black bookbag on his back.
The witness stated that the suspect flipped the bookbag from his back to his chest and pulled out a rifle before confronting them. Samuel reportedly told Snell that he heard a gunshot and then watched the suspect flee on foot away from the scene.
Nearby business cameras captured audio of a single gunshot. Surveillance footage from a neighboring business showed a male matching the description approach on foot with a black backpack and then run away immediately after the shooting.
How Detectives Identified “Buck” Lewis
The investigation progressed after detectives spoke with Joseph Samuel’s sister. She told investigators that witness Daniel Snell had identified the shooter by the nickname “Buck.”
Detectives located a previous CMPD police report that documented a suspect known by the nickname “Buck.” They reviewed the associated arrest photo from that earlier case and confirmed that the individual matched the person seen in the surveillance video from the Tom Hunter Road homicide scene.
Investigators also identified an Instagram page belonging to the suspect, which further confirmed the identification.
Court records show that Lewis is a convicted felon. He was previously convicted of Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill Inflicting Serious Injury.
He was sentenced to 73 to 100 months in prison for that case.
COMMUNITY MOURNS 16-YEAR-OLD JOSEPH SAMUEL
Joseph Samuel was a 16-year-old student at Sun Valley High School in Union County. Those who knew him have described him as a bright and kind-hearted teenager.
As his family prepares for his funeral, a GoFundMe campaign has been created to help cover funeral expenses.
