HICKORY, N.C. — Jakeis Zameir Harris, 21, of Hickory, was sentenced last week to 20 to 25 years in prison. The sentencing in Catawba County Superior Court followed his conviction for second-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and assault with a deadly weapon.
These charges stem from a Nov. 5, 2022, shooting that killed 20-year-old Khalil Rhynhart and seriously injured his father, Eric Rhynhart.
The shooting left Eric Rhynhart paralyzed from the sternum down, requiring constant care. An autopsy report indicated Khalil Rhynhart died from being struck in the shoulder and back, with perforations to his lung, aorta and pancreas.
Superior Court Judge Troy J. Stafford, from Union County, imposed the active sentence after Harris entered a guilty plea a week before his cases were scheduled for trial.
The fatal shooting occurred when Khalil and Eric Rhynhart were getting food along Lenoir-Rhyne Boulevard after attending a football game.
As they drove from a restaurant, shots were fired, striking both men in their vehicle. Eric Rhynhart attempted to stop the vehicle but, due to his injuries, crashed into an embankment to aid his son, who died at the scene.
Investigators from the Hickory Police Department found numerous 9 mm and .223 rifle shell casings in the roadway.
Video footage from nearby businesses captured the shooting.
Surveillance video showed the Rhynharts speaking with a man near an SUV outside a restaurant before they walked to their vehicle.
The SUV left the parking lot and someone inside of it fired multiple gunshots toward the victims’ vehicle.
Witness accounts provided by co-defendants identified Harris as the shooter.
Physical and digital evidence recovered during the investigation further corroborated Harris as the shooter, leading to his arrest on Dec. 2, 2022.
Khalil Rhynhart’s sister and Eric Rhynhart addressed the court, speaking about their loved one and the impact of his loss on their family.
Eric Rhynhart stated, “(Harris) took a lot from me that night. A loved one, a child … he took my best friend. I miss him so much.”
Other arrests related to the case include Trevin Ali Brown, 24, who was arrested on Nov. 17, 2022, and charged with murder and attempted first-degree murder. Jalen Tremain Crowell was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Charlotte on Aug. 28, 2023, facing one count of murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder.
Harris will serve his period of incarceration in the custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
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