Pair charged nearly 2 years after deputy’s son shot, killed outside Harris Teeter

CHARLOTTE — Two men have been charged nearly two years after a 19-year-old was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Harris Teeter in University City.

Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department have charged 26-year-old Dashawn Partlow and 23-year-old Conner Pyle for their involvement in the 2019 murder of 19-year-old Nathaniel Isenhour.

PAST COVERAGE:

• Slain son of local deputy is Charlotte’s 100th homicide victim of 2019
• Slain teen honored for being organ donor
• ‘Not knowing is absolute torture’: Deputy begs for public’s help to find son’s killer

Just before 10 p.m. on Nov. 25, 2019, Isenhour, a college student and beloved student-athlete, was shot in the parking lot of the Harris Teeter on University City Boulevard. He died at the hospital the next morning.

According to police, the nearly two year-long investigation led them to Partlow and Pyle. The pair was arrested Tuesday and transferred to the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.

Partlow was charged with murder and Pyle is facing an obstruction of justice charge.

Last Thanksgiving marked one year since Nate’s mother, Sheri Walker, lost her son. She told Channel that she just wanted to hug him again.

“A lot of times it is like waking up and dying just a little bit every day,” said Nate’s father, Sonny Isenhour, who is a deputy with the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office.

Before Tuesday’s arrests, the only clue that was released in the case was a surveillance video of a sedan with apparent damage to the right-front quarter panel.

Family members had been asking for the public’s help to find the killer.

“I have to have that faith,” Sonny Isenhour said. “It is what keeps me going.”

On Wednesday, the day after the arrests were announced, Channel 9 anchor Susanna Black spoke with Nate’s mother, Sheri Walker.

“I know that Nate’s not coming back but also this is -- like going through this process is validity that he’s truly not coming back,” she said. “While I’m relieved someone will be held accountable, just seeing their faces -- it’s kind of hard to see the face of the person that took your child away.”

Walker said her son has known Pyle for years but she isn’t aware of a connection to Partlow.

“This is going to be a long process and I think all of us have acknowledged that, and it’s not anything we’d miss. We will be there and seek justice for our son but we’re also not looking forward to the process as well,” she told Channel 9.

Walker said she’s preparing herself for more details to come out about the crime and the tough road that lies ahead for everyone as their fight for justice pushes forward.

“I pray for the families and parents who woke up to learn their children have been implicated and charged with murder and having something to do with someone’s murder,” she said. “You know, that’s got to be a difficult pill to swallow.”

Nate Isenhour was an organ donor and his heart and kidneys saved three lives.

(WATCH BELOW: Son of local deputy dies at hospital hours after shooting in University City)

Son of local deputy dies at hospital hours after shooting in University City Son of local deputy dies at hospital hours after shooting in University City

Cox Media Group