North Carolina man charged with murder in shooting death of mother

Published 3:03 pm Saturday, January 22, 2022

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A North Carolina man has been accused of fatally shooting his mother and trying to leave the scene, police said.

Concord police officers arrived at a home at 12:45 a.m. Tuesday to assist Cabarrus County paramedics who had been called for a medical-related incident, according to a news release.

As emergency workers were leaving the home, multiple gunshots were heard coming from the home, police said. The officers then encountered Ya-Qway Jayshawn Sawyer, 24, as he tried to leave. Officers detained Sawyer and began a search of the house. They found Sawyer’s mother, Katrina Renee Smith, dead in her bathroom with multiple gunshot wounds, according to police.

Get the latest headlines sent to you

Sawyer was charged with murder and is being held without bond in the Cabarrus County jail, police said. It’s not known if he has an attorney, and police haven’t determined a motive for the shooting.

READ ABOUT MORE NEWS HERE.