Family members call for charges and firings in Gastonia police shooting at council meeting

Two family members urged Gastonia elected officials on April 21 to press for accountability and transparency after the Jan. 10 shooting of Derek Manigault at Jacob’s Food Mart, raising questions about the department’s response and the pace of the investigation.

Lee Henderson, who identified herself as a family member, told the council she and others have "no answers, no reports, no charges" almost 15 weeks after the fatal encounter. "This was a murder," she said, and urged the council to "look beyond the scripted GPD narrative" and to use its authority to demand that the officers involved be fired and criminally charged.

Olivia Henderson said the family continues to wait for information and called the lack of communication "not acceptable." She asked the council to prioritize transparency and to ensure the case is handled with urgency, saying "Derek deserves justice. He deserves transparency. His family deserves answers, and this community deserves the truth."

Council members did not engage in a line‑by‑line debate during the public‑comment period; city rules for public expression limit council engagement. There were no council actions recorded during public expression on this item. The speakers said the family will continue to return to council meetings to press for further action.

The council meeting transcript records the speakers’ allegations and calls for action; it does not record any responses from Gastonia Police Department leadership or confirm whether any internal or external investigative steps beyond the administrative leave described in public comment have been completed. The family’s requests for firing or criminal charges remain demands recorded in public comment rather than formal council directives in the meeting minutes.