Charlotte’s West End Community Rallying Against Violence

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — People living in Charlotte’s West End community are rallying together after a night of violence in their neighborhood.

They say they won’t allow criminals to take over their streets.

“We are so excited about it it’s really wonderful to witness the growth of Charlotte as a whole and our area that impacts us so much and to see all of that investment and witness all the change,” Kim Schrom says.

Kim Schrom and her daughters are soaking in the sun and enjoying some pizza in West End’s Five Points Center on Rozzelles Ferry Road across from Johnson C. Smith University.

One year ago, a multi-million dollar revitalization project was created in West End, in the middle of the pandemic. Within that time, businesses have popped up, along with other entertainment and a splash park set to open in May.

“It’s so close to our house and it’s such a nice space we often find other neighbors out here too,” Schrom says.

Early Friday morning, gunshots woke up a west Charlotte neighborhood just before 5 a.m. According to CMPD, a 33-year-old man was shot several times and then carjacked in the parking lot near an empty barber shop on Beatties Ford Road. The man is in the hospital suffering life-threatening injuries.

“We do often have crime close by but I like to think the crime isn’t random,” Schrom says. “If we’re good people out here doing good things that we wouldn’t be likely to be involved in the crime.”

Schrom says the West End community is close knit. Neighbors keep a watchful eye on each other and waste no time reporting anything suspicious to police.

“We have a lot of police support in our community every other month they come out to our community meeting and provide stats and reports of crimes that are in the area they’re extremely involved,” Schrom says. “They want this area to be safe just like every other area.”

No one has been arrested in connection with the Friday carjacking and shooting on Beatties Ford Road.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or http://charlottecrimestoppers.com/.