Lashawn “Shawn” Malcolm Davis, 35, of Catawba, was sentenced to serve 10 to 13 years in prison for crimes of violence and his status as an armed habitual felon during Catawba County Superior Court on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
The sentence was imposed by Superior Court Judge David H. Strickland of Mecklenburg County after Davis entered guilty pleas to assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and possession of firearm by a felon along with the armed habitual felon designation.
The defendant will serve his incarceration period in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
His incarceration period was lengthened by the armed habitual felon status that included a prior conviction for discharging a weapon into occupied property (February 2010) in Catawba County.
Deputies from the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Town of Catawba Police Department responded to a Catawba residence regarding a 911 call about a gunshot wound to the leg on October 11, 2025.
The male victim told investigators that he was visiting a friend at the residence when the defendant walked across the road and confronted him before shooting him in the right leg and then fleeing the scene with the assistance of a female co-defendant. The wound required surgical repair at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.
Two days later a search warrant for Davis’ SnapChat account provided data that his phone was in the vicinity at the time of the shooting.
On October 14, 2026, the U.S. Marshal Service assisted investigators by providing surveillance on the defendant. They determined that he and the female had traveled to a Hickory residence. They were taken into custody there.
The co-defendant cooperated with investigators and admitted to picking up Davis. She said he told her that he shot the victim after an argument, claiming the victim came after him with a knife. A knife was not found at the scene nor in possession of the victim, who denied having such a weapon.
The co-defendant took deputies and marshals to a wooded location on October 16, 2026, and a K9 unit alerted to a brush pile where Davis had changed clothes and stashed the .40-caliber pistol.
Davis’ conviction came as a result of the collaborative efforts of the newly-formed task force in Catawba County targeting offenders who commit violent crimes. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, Hickory Police Department, Maiden Police Department, Newton Police Department, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are combining efforts to target violent and repeat offenders.
Cases developed through the task force are reviewed by prosecutors to determine the most appropriate venue for prosecution and to ensure that offenders who present the greatest threat to public safety are held accountable and to reduce violent crime in our community.
Davis’ prosecution reflects the mission of the Catawba County Violent Crimes Task Force, which focuses on identifying, investigating and prosecuting repeat violent offenders whose actions pose a significant threat to public safety.
The investigation was conducted by Brittany Weaver of the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorney Kyle Smith prosecuted the case for the State with assistance from Legal Assistant Amy Bishoff.