North Carolina Man Kicks Down Door, Stabs 5-Year-Old Son, Then Hits Taco Bell

A North Carolina man kicked down his ex-girlfriend's apartment door, fatally stabbing his 5-year-old son before nonchalantly heading to Taco Bell.

Jehaaz-Akil Khaliq Echoles, 31, faces first-degree murder charges, according to the Pineville Police Department.

Officers responded shortly after midnight to the Sabal Point Apartments in Pineville for reports of an assault with a deadly weapon.

Upon arrival, they discovered the child suffering from multiple stab wounds.

Emergency medical care was administered immediately, and the child was rushed to the hospital in a patrol car.

Tragically, the boy was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

The child's mother reported that Echoles broke into the apartment, entered their son's room, and closed the door behind him, as detailed in an arrest affidavit.

She heard a commotion and opened the door, only to see Echoles fleeing the scene.

Inside, she found her son bleeding and unresponsive, covered in stab wounds to his head, neck, and arms. She called 911 immediately.

Another child in the home was unharmed during the incident.

Echoles was apprehended at a nearby Taco Bell shortly after the attack.

This incident is classified as domestic violence, not a random act of aggression.

The motive behind the stabbing remains unclear.

Echoles has a documented history of assault. He was convicted in North Carolina for assaulting a woman in October 2020 and has multiple ongoing assault-related cases.

This year alone, he has been accused of two separate assaults on women. In one instance, he allegedly beat a woman with a belt; in another, he threw keys at a woman after borrowing her car and refusing to return it.

Echoles is currently held in the Mecklenburg County Jail without bond. His next court date is set for July 30.