Marine, father of 3 shot to death by woman in northwest Charlotte, police say

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police have made an arrest in one of the five different calls relating to violence across Charlotte Saturday night.

Darryanna Hearn, 27, is charged with the murder of 29-year-old Damario Tillman.

“I’m just wondering why, why such a great individual was taken and plucked from this earth,” Veronique Guy, a family friend, said.

Just after 9 p.m., police were called to investigate after Tillman was shot to death in northwest Charlotte. Police responded to the scene on Hovis Road near Bradford Drive.

Officers said once they got to the area, they learned another person took Tillman to a hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Officials believe the shooting happened after a verbal fight between Tillman and Hearn. Police said the two knew each other.

Channel 9 learned Tillman, known as Mario to friends and family, was a former Marine, a father of three boys and was working on his master’s degree.

“My daddy was a great Marine. He put food on our plate every night. He was a great Marine,” Tillman’s son, Levi said.

Levi, Tillman’s youngest son, offered up a salute to honor him.

According to a Facebook post from the Urban Ministry Center-Charlotte, Tillman was also a mentor at the men’s shelter. He served as a supervisor, counseling others, and as a housing specialist with the Rapid Rehousing program.

“He’s just been an all-around great character and a great role model for kids,” Guy said.

In the Facebook post, Urban Ministry said Tillman was an innocent bystander struck by a stray bullet.

“This is a close-knit family. Mario had a large family and it was full of love. He was full of love,” Guy said. “It’s just a terrible tragedy. I just don’t really have the words.”

Family members said Saturday night, Tillman was picking up his kids from a party where his ex-wife was.

“The authorities need to step up their game and really put an end to some of this violence that is going on,” a family member said.

The homicide was one of five different calls related to violence across Charlotte during a 2-hour period Saturday night.

Eight people were shot and one person was stabbed in those four other calls.

During one of the calls, police said six people were shot after a fight broke out in a parking lot in east Charlotte just before 9 p.m.

Officers said when they got to the parking lot on Albemarle Road, they saw a crowd of people leaving the scene but they found evidence that shots had been fired in the area.

Minutes later, CMPD started getting calls about shooting victims arriving at local hospitals in private vehicles. In total, six victims were treated for gunshot wounds -- one for serious injuries and the remaining five for non-life threatening injuries.

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Authorities have not said if any arrests have been made.

Earlier this month, CMPD reported a spike in violence -- especially shootings. In fact, there were 30 shootings in just one week.

One of the concerns is the pandemic shut down several lifelines to escape violence. Leaders are worried this could continue into the summer.

This is an ongoing investigation. Check back with wsoctv.com for more information.

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