Shootings Into Occupied Homes and Cars on the Rise in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, NC — A bullet, fired into a home, hits a baby’s crib. It’s part of a disturbing, and violent, trend in Charlotte. CMPD has seen a 50% increase in shootings into occupied property, and they are asking for your help to combat the problem.

“That’s somebody’s mother, father, sister, brother,” says Lafayette Hawkins. “It could be children in there.”

Hawkins has lived in this South Charlotte neighborhood for 24 years, where two homes with people inside were shot up early Thursday morning. She says the shootings are getting worse.

CMPD backs that. Shootings into homes and cars are up 50%percent over last year, with 204 incidents so far in 2016.

“There’s no more sacred place than our homes, and these incidents have a lasting impact on that feeling of safety and security in your home,” said Major Mike Smathers at a CMPD press conference to talk about the issue.

“Drug dealers come around in this area, and they think they can rent these places and sell drugs,” says Hawkins. “And that’s not right.”

CMPD has made 42 arrests in cases involving shootings into occupied property, but they are asking the community to help. Smathers says some of these cases are connected to known groups that are retaliating against each other; choosing to settle routine disputes by turning to firearms.

“They choose to shoot at each other, and many times shoot at each other in their homes,” says Major Smathers. “And then sometimes they’re shooting at each other in other locations, and innocent party’s homes are struck as well.”

Like a recent shooting in North Charlotte where bullets hit a baby’s crib. Fortunately, no one got hurt. But it brings back memories of last Labor Day when a seven-year old boy was gunned down at a birthday party.

“For somebody to just randomly shoot into people’s houses, then to you it’s like they really have no concern for, or care about, human life,” says another South Charlotte resident.

Crimestoppers has increased the reward for any information that leads to an arrest for any shooting into occupied property to $1,000.