Fayetteville Circle K Stabbing Leaves 23-Year-Old Dead, Employee Charged

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A late-night confrontation outside a Fayetteville gas station turned deadly early Sunday morning, leaving a 23-year-old man dead and a Circle K employee behind bars facing a first-degree murder charge.

According to the Fayetteville Police Department, officers were called to the 8000 block of Cliffdale Road around 3:54 a.m. on Sunday, January 11, 2026, after reports of a stabbing.

When officers arrived, they discovered Chris’Shawn Ahmad Sewell, 23, of Fayetteville, suffering from stab wounds. Despite emergency efforts, Sewell did not survive. 

What Police Say Happened in the Fayetteville Circle K Stabbing

Investigators say the incident happened outside the Circle K located at 8191 Cliffdale Road, where Sewell encountered Chaniece Natasha Starks, a 32-year-old employee who was working at the time.

Police allege that Starks and Sewell were not strangers and had prior interactions at the store. At some point during the early-morning hours, an argument between the two escalated into a physical altercation.

During that confrontation, Sewell was fatally stabbed.

Circle K Employee Charged With First-Degree Murder

Starks, who is from Raeford, North Carolina, has now been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Sewell’s death.

She is currently being held at the Cumberland County Detention Center and is being detained without bond, according to jail records.

Authorities say this remains an active homicide investigation, and additional details have not yet been released.