Teen arrested in connection to Concord Mills shooting

Published 12:00 am Thursday, January 2, 2020

CONCORD — A Charlotte teenager was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and felony riot in connection with a shooting on Friday at  Concord Mills Mall.

Dontae Milton Black, 18, of Charlotte, was apprehended by the Violent Criminal Apprehension Team of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on Wednesday morning.

His arrest stems from an incident at the Dave & Buster’s location at the mall in which there was a fight and reports of gunfire. Concord police and officers from Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Department responded.

Three people, all of whom police determined were not connected to the altercation, were shot in the incident. One of the victims, 13-year-old Avenanna Propst, of Concord, died at the scene while the two other victims’ wounds were not life threatening.

According to a Wednesday news release from the Concord Police Department, Black was involved in a verbal altercation with a 16-year-old male near the interior GameStop location when the other teen saw Black manipulating a firearm in his clothes.

Police said the teens were directed to leave the mall through an entrance near Sun & Ski Sports and AMC Theatre locations in the mall. The 16-year-old instead exited via the Dave & Buster’s location to the parking lot. Black saw the other teen outside Dave & Buster’s afterward and began to fire at him, allegedly killing Propst and hitting the two other juveniles in the process.

The two males who were wounded retreated into Dave & Buster’s for protection and to find medical attention, a news release said.

After arrest processing, Black was transferred to the Cabarrus County Jail under no bond. 

The investigation is continuing in order to identify other people who may have been involved.