Victim, Businesses Speak After Shooting Outside Amelie’s

CHARLOTTE, NC — The woman attacked in a busy NoDa parking lot Sunday morning is speaking about the assault.

Police are still searching for the gunman who pistol-whipped her and shot into cars in the parking lot near the popular Amelie’s Bakery on N. Davidson St.

Businesses there asking the property owner for more security.

“I could have seen somebody die,” said the woman the gunman assaulted. “I could have just, I mean, there was lots going through my mind.”

She asked us not to release her identity.

She says a stranger ran up, slammed a gun into her head in the parking lot in front of Amelie’s Bakery just before 1:00 Sunday morning.

She described falling to the ground.

“Someone has just hit me in the head with a gun, and he’s shooting out in a crowd of people,” said the woman.

Police say bullets flew into two cars. One of those cars had two men inside, but the shots missed them.

Detectives think the gunman was a customer at Red @ 28th and was attempting to shoot another customer he was fighting with.

Red at 28th is checking surveillance footage. “It’s very very troublesome for us because we do so much in the community to empower the community,” said Greg Williamson from Red @ 28th.

Williamson is now organizing a community meeting at the bar, addressing social issues and violence.

He’s been doing that at the University City location for nearly two years.

“Let’s work together to find constructive ways to deal with our issues other than violence,” said Williamson.

Amelie’s Bakery Director of Operations, Sarah Britton, says the company trains workers on the security protocol. She says a company patrols extra hours Thursday through Sunday.

Now, stores are asking the property owner to extend those hours.

“We’re lucky that we had people on staff that got everyone in, got them away and locked the doors,” said Britton.

CMPD is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.