Life In Charloot Is Cheap

This week Mecklenburg District Attorney Spencer Merriweather decided to pled the First Degree Murder Charge against a violent felon named Gregory Dowana down to Voluntary Manslaughter with a minimum prison sentence of 6 1/2 years. 

Given credit for the his time already served Gregory Dowana will be released back on the streets of Charlotte in May of 2031. Yes murder in Charlotte is just a five year prison gig. Life indeed in Charlotte is cheap.

Of course this didn't please the victim's family who would undoubtedly like you to think of Des-Mon Thompson age 34 as a nice young man with his whole life ahead of him.

The reality of course is that Thompson was probably more like his most recent mugshot.

According to CMPD Thompson and Dowana were known to each other and had run ins before. 

On the night of Saturday February 8, 2025 Thompson and Dowana crossed paths again. Thompson at 6 foot 2 towered over the one foot shorter 5 foot 2 Dowana. They obviously were not friends when they had words at the crowded  "Walker's Express" referred to as the "To Go" in the CMPD reports.

From the CMPD Press Release:

Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Homicide Unit are conducting a homicide investigation in the 3400 block of Freedom Drive in the Metro Division.

On Saturday, February 8, shortly before 6:00 p.m., officers responded to an assault with a deadly weapon with injury call for service in the 3400 block of Freedom Drive. The male victim left the scene in a private vehicle before officers arrived. He was brought to Atrium Health Mercy with a gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased by medical personnel at the hospital.

Homicide Unit detectives responded to the scene to conduct an investigation, and Crime Scene Search responded to process the scene and collect physical evidence. Representatives from CMPD’s Operations Command also assisted.

Charlotte, N.C. – (Sunday, February 9, 2025) – The victim in this case has been identified as Des’mon Thompson, 34. The victim’s family has been notified of his death.

On Sunday, February 9, 2025, Metro Division patrol officers arrested Gregory Dowana, 29, for his involvement in this case. He was transported to the Law Enforcement Center (LEC) in Uptown (601 E. Trade St.) to speak to detectives. At the conclusion of the interview, Mr. Dowana was transferred to the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives have charged Dowana with the following:

• Murder

Thompson’s family has been notified of the arrest.

This was not Dowana's first rodeo. In fact he had been arrested just a month earlier for New Year's Eve threats made via cellphone to another Charlotte man named Jack Collins. 

According to that arrest warrant Dowana called Collins stating that he would kill Mr. Collins or anyone from his side of the family.

Dowana was arrested on January 15 on the make threat charges and released less than 24 hours later on an unsecured bond. 

The night of the shooting and murder.

CMPD Affidavit:

On February 8, 2025, at 1741 hours, officers responded to the To Go gas station at 3416 Freedom Drive in reference to an assault with deadly weapon with injury. 

The victim, Des'mon Thompson, left the scene before officers arrived and went to Atrium Health Mercy. He had multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced deceased by Dr. Zauner at 1842 hours. 

The suspect, Gregory Dowana, remained on scene to speak with officers. The case is being investigated as a murder under Complaint #20250208174102.

Detectives reviewed video from the security cameras at the incident location It shows the victim in the store at the counter and then go outside to black Hyundai Elantra. He interacted with the driver of black Jaguar, later identified as Gregory Dowana, in the parking lot before going back into the store. 

He picked up drink can and approached the register. The Jaguar pulled up to a gas pump, and the victim watched. He appeared to become jittery. The victim paid for merchandise at the register, and the suspect entered the store. 

The two interacted further, and the victim walked towards the door. He stopped and talked with the suspect. The suspect sprayed the victim in the face with something. The victim pulled gun from under his left arm and retreated down an aisle. 

The suspect pulled gun and shot.in the direction of the victim. He had a gun in each hand. The victim ran out of the store with something in his hand. The suspect followed and shot out of the front door in the direction of where the victim ran. He reloaded one of his guns with new magazine. 

The victim entered the passenger side of the Hyundai Elantra after the passenger moved to the driver's seat. The victim appeared to-be bleeding from the leg. The suspect went back into the store and made phone call on his cellphone. There were numerous people in the store when the incident occurred.

Detectives spoke with multiple witnesses. They advised that the victim and the suspect appeared to know each other and were friendly at first, but then they started arguing. The suspect sprayed the victim with pepper spray and then pulled outa gun and shot at the victim, even as he ran from the store. 

The victim fell as he was trying to get to his vehicle. Two of the witnesses believed that the victim had firearm and fired back at the suspect.

The person who drove the victim to the hospital told detectives that the suspect had been harassing her for an extended period of time. The victim and suspect had verbal argument in January 2025.

Crime Scene search collected discharged cartridge casing of two different calibers in the area where the suspect was seen shooting in addition to numerous projectiles and pieces of copper jacketing inside and outside the store.

Crime Scene Search also collected two handguns and rifle as well as extra magazines and ammunition from the suspect's vehicle.

There was no damage or fired evidence to indicate that the victim fired weapon There was not another firearm located on scene or in the victim' vehicle.

Based on these facts, I request a warrant for Gregory Deddeh Dowana for the murder of Des'mon Thompson.

Here's were things get problematic. The African American Community in Charlotte is a culture of violence. This behavior is accepted as normal. Six PM on a Saturday night some homeboy disrespects you, so you put him is his place and tell him about his momma and then he pulls out a weapon and you smoke his ass.

In Black Charlotte everyone has guns and no one has any self-control.

The people who make up Black Charlotte think this is normal and the jury that would hear the case would clearly feel the same way. Not one Black Juror could vote to convict this guy because they have all accepted that the African American Community is in fact a Culture of Violence, accepting criminality and gun play as normal.

DA Merriweather knows this and that no Charlotte Jury would convict the likes of Gregory Dowana based on the fact that Thompson had a weapon. Never mind Dowana's prior arrests or that Thompson was clearly retreating, Merriweather knowns the chances of getting a conviction were slim and none. 

It would not matter to Black Charlotte that Dowana had 3 guns in his possession at the time of the incident. 

The Sentence:

In consideration of sentencing Judge William T. Stetzer accepted the following aggravating factors:

8. The defendant knowingly created great risk of death to more than one person by means of weapon or device which would normally be hazardous to the lives of more than one person. 

12. The defendant committed the offense while on pretrial release on another charge. 

13a.The defendant committed an offense and knew or reasonably should have known that person under the age of 18 who was not involved in the commission of the offense was in position to see or hear the offense. 

Additionally the judge found that "the Court makes no findings of any mitigating factors".

Mecklenburg County Judge William T. Stetzer still sentenced the defendant to a minimum of 80 months 6.66 years. Dowana was given credit for 461 days so he'll send right around five years in prison.

Cedar's Take:

As much as I believe that violent felons like Dowana will re-offend and that this felon will in fact kill again due to his short man issue, DA Merriweather was correct in offering a plea deal. There is no way a "jury of peers" would convict a Black Man of this crime in our city because they believe that violence is just a fact of life for Black Charlotte. 

Still incarceration saves lives.