CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charges have been dropped against a man arrested for the murder of a beloved gas station clerk during a west Charlotte robbery in June 2019, police said.
Ismael Doumbia, 50, was working at a Shell station on Freedom Drive near Alleghany Street when he was shot and killed.
(Ismael Doumbia)
After the robbery, police released surveillance pictures inside the store showing photos of the gunman. The suspect was covered up, so his face couldn’t be seen.
Months later, Desmond Logan was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon.
He was jailed for five months, but Jan. 17, he walked out a free man after prosecutors dropped all the charges against him.
Logan’s mother, Sharon Bennett, said her family cried tears of joy and that she always believed Logan was innocent, but she feels like a cloud is still over his head.
“Now, I feel like my son has to watch his back because they don’t have who did this and they think it’s my son. I don’t feel like my son should have to watch his back. He should be able to walk freely every day like everybody else does,” said Bennett.
Channel 9 sat down with Logan after the charges were dropped.
"For them to tell me that I was facing the death penalty, it just broke me, it hurt me real bad,” Logan said.
Logan admits he’s not perfect. He’s been arrested numerous times before, including for domestic violence and gun and drugs charges. But he said he’s not a murderer.
"I don't want nobody to take nobody I love from me, so it's not in me to do the same,” Logan said.
While he’s thankful the charges were dropped, he said he’s also mindful of what five months behind bars cost him.
"I missed my kids, holidays, and I'm still trying to work that out. I just lost a lot of people. I lost things. I lost my job. I lost things, it was tough,” Logan said.
Logan said this experience has changed him for the better and that he's determined to make something out of his life.
"The only thing I could think about, them locking me up and sending me to prison and keeping me for years ‘till they find out, I’m innocent. And it hurt, it hurt real bad,” Logan said.
Prosecutors haven’t said why they dropped the charges.
Close friends of the victim’s family said they were surprised the charges were dropped but, they are confident police will eventually get the right person responsible for the fatal shooting.
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