CHARLOTTE, NC - Two teenagers have been arrested after engaging in random, unprovoked acts of violence across the city that left one man dead and two others wounded.
According to NBC News, there were a total of five random drive-by shootings that occurred between 1:00 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9th. During a news conference, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Deputy Chief Tonya Arrington said that the five shootings appear to be linked because they involved random shots being fired from a vehicle at other vehicles or bicyclists.
Police have arrested a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old as their primary suspects. On Thursday, July 11th, officers patrolling the shooting scenes noticed a suspicious vehicle. Upon further investigation, they found the 16-year-old boy inside of it with a stolen gun. After being interviewed by police, he was arrested. The 18-year-old, identified as Carlos Roberto Diaz, was arrested later in the day.
Police have not identified the younger suspect. He will be charged with first-degree murder and has been transferred to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Diaz will be charged with first-degree murder, felony conspiracy to commit murder, five counts of attempted murder, two counts of shooting into an occupied vehicle, two counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling, and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.
Arrington said in a statement, "I'll just be honest with you. It was good, old-fashioned police work. Our officers in the right areas at the right time, knowing what to look for. It's just one of those gut instincts that you have sometimes as an officer." Without elaborating much more, Arrington said, "We have reason to believe that the 16-year-old juvenile intended on continuing his violent crime spree."
Thankfully, that was not the case because the officers did not let up and continued to investigate. Arrington said, "Thanks to the great work of our officers and detectives, they were able to prevent additional harm to innocent victims."
According to Queen City News, additional information on the possible motive for these random shootings has surfaced. Court documents one of the suspects admitted to police that their reign of terror began around 1:00 a.m. after the two "went to a party" and then "drove around the city shooting at people."
Police say that the two teens terrorized the city, shooting at drivers, bicyclists, and homes at random. The first shooting happened around 1:00 a.m. when 58-year-old Mustaffa Muhammad was fatally shot in a vehicle driving northbound on Statesville Avenue. Minutes later, police responded to the intersection of Lasalle Street and Newland Road, where a bicyclist was shot at but not injured.
A short time later, officers said that a vehicle was hit by gunfire on Lasalle Street near Interstate 77. After that, a group of people told police that they were shot at in the 2100 block of Catherine Simmons Drive. Officers found a female victim who was inside a nearby home when she was struck by gunfire.
The next shooting happened in the Steel Creek Area, where a bicyclist was shot and wounded in the 100 block of Hillary Circle. While canvassing that area, officers found that a house has also been struck by gunfire. Investigators were able to forensically tie the three shootings to the crime spree by the two teenagers.
Even though one of the suspects admitted to going to a party and then shooting at people, investigators said that the motive still remains unclear. Arrington said, "We're still asking the same questions. Why would two juveniles engage in this type of behavior on random victims? You know, it's one thing when we have a shooting spree between two, maybe rival gangs, neighborhood gangs, beefs, But this is ... just completely unusual."
At a news conference on Thursday, July 11th, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said, "Our police department and personnel at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department took this personally. If we can't break this cycle of violent crime with our young people, then our future is not very bright for the future of our citizens in our community."
According to NBC News, there were a total of five random drive-by shootings that occurred between 1:00 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9th. During a news conference, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Deputy Chief Tonya Arrington said that the five shootings appear to be linked because they involved random shots being fired from a vehicle at other vehicles or bicyclists.
Police have arrested a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old as their primary suspects. On Thursday, July 11th, officers patrolling the shooting scenes noticed a suspicious vehicle. Upon further investigation, they found the 16-year-old boy inside of it with a stolen gun. After being interviewed by police, he was arrested. The 18-year-old, identified as Carlos Roberto Diaz, was arrested later in the day.
Police have not identified the younger suspect. He will be charged with first-degree murder and has been transferred to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Diaz will be charged with first-degree murder, felony conspiracy to commit murder, five counts of attempted murder, two counts of shooting into an occupied vehicle, two counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling, and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.
Arrington said in a statement, "I'll just be honest with you. It was good, old-fashioned police work. Our officers in the right areas at the right time, knowing what to look for. It's just one of those gut instincts that you have sometimes as an officer." Without elaborating much more, Arrington said, "We have reason to believe that the 16-year-old juvenile intended on continuing his violent crime spree."
Thankfully, that was not the case because the officers did not let up and continued to investigate. Arrington said, "Thanks to the great work of our officers and detectives, they were able to prevent additional harm to innocent victims."
According to Queen City News, additional information on the possible motive for these random shootings has surfaced. Court documents one of the suspects admitted to police that their reign of terror began around 1:00 a.m. after the two "went to a party" and then "drove around the city shooting at people."
Police say that the two teens terrorized the city, shooting at drivers, bicyclists, and homes at random. The first shooting happened around 1:00 a.m. when 58-year-old Mustaffa Muhammad was fatally shot in a vehicle driving northbound on Statesville Avenue. Minutes later, police responded to the intersection of Lasalle Street and Newland Road, where a bicyclist was shot at but not injured.
A short time later, officers said that a vehicle was hit by gunfire on Lasalle Street near Interstate 77. After that, a group of people told police that they were shot at in the 2100 block of Catherine Simmons Drive. Officers found a female victim who was inside a nearby home when she was struck by gunfire.
The next shooting happened in the Steel Creek Area, where a bicyclist was shot and wounded in the 100 block of Hillary Circle. While canvassing that area, officers found that a house has also been struck by gunfire. Investigators were able to forensically tie the three shootings to the crime spree by the two teenagers.
Even though one of the suspects admitted to going to a party and then shooting at people, investigators said that the motive still remains unclear. Arrington said, "We're still asking the same questions. Why would two juveniles engage in this type of behavior on random victims? You know, it's one thing when we have a shooting spree between two, maybe rival gangs, neighborhood gangs, beefs, But this is ... just completely unusual."
At a news conference on Thursday, July 11th, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said, "Our police department and personnel at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department took this personally. If we can't break this cycle of violent crime with our young people, then our future is not very bright for the future of our citizens in our community."
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