HAMLET — Investigators have charged a man in late-night murder from earlier in the week.
Malik Bryant Wall, 27, of Hamlet, has been charged with a count of first-degree murder in the death of Tykeem Amir Ellerbe.
According to the Hamlet Police Department, Ellerbe was one of two people who were shot just before midnight on Wednesday, March 25. Ellerbe reportedly died from his injuries.
“This investigation underscores the strong collaboration among local law enforcement agencies,” reads a post on the HPD Facebook page. “Investigators from the Hamlet Police Department and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office worked diligently to identify a suspect and swiftly bring him into custody.”
No information was released regarding the other reported victim in the shooting, nor where the shooting took place.
Police say the investigation is still ongoing.
Wall was booked into the Richmond County Jail at 2:37 p.m. on Friday March, 27, and is being held without bond. He is scheduled to appear in court April 2.
Online court records show Wall failed to appear in court three times on traffic violations from the N.C. State Highway Patrol. The case was dismissed with leave on July 25, 2025.
Records with the N.C. Department of Adult Correction show Wall was convicted in 2022 of a misdemeanor count of fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle, possession of stolen goods, and reckless driving in Stanly County.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
