CMPD officers responded to a 911 call just after midnight on Thursday, August 28, in the 200 block of Hoskins Mill Lane. According to court documents, a woman told dispatchers she heard gunshots, then moaning, and saw a man bleeding on her porch.
When officers arrived, they found Sean Nicholas Watson, 48, with a gunshot wound. He was taken to Atrium Health in critical condition but died two days later on Saturday, August 30.
CMPD said surveillance video from the crime scene showed Watson running toward the caller’s apartment, being chased by two masked men. One of them pointed a gun at him and demanded car keys and a phone. Watson reportedly replied, “I ain’t got nothing” and “I knew it was a setup,” before being shot once and collapsing on the porch.
CMPD identified David Gary Graves, 40, as the primary suspect. He was arrested on August 31 and charged with first-degree murder and attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon.
Detectives linked Graves to the incident through surveillance and a string of text messages and calls exchanged with Watson, according to court records.
CMPD said their phones showed ongoing conversations about marijuana deals, often meeting in the same neighborhood where the shooting occurred. The final messages and missed video call happened just minutes before the fatal shooting, they said.
Watson’s car, a 2022 BMW, was later found and searched. Inside, CMPD discovered over 6 pounds of marijuana, nearly $1,800 in cash, spare keys to high-end cars, and bank receipts.
Graves is being held without bond. He had his first court appearance on Tuesday and is scheduled for a warrant hearing later this month at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse.
This investigation remains open and ongoing.
Crime & Public Safety
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