CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Three people were killed and another was injured during a violent weekend in Charlotte that saw four shootings over two days.
The most recent shooting happened around 10 p.m. Sunday night in north Charlotte. Detectives said 36-year-old Anthony Dewayne Haley was shot along Southwest Boulevard, near the intersection with Quentin Street. Haley was pronounced dead at the scene.
"There was just like 20 cop cars and everything was blocked off," Terrina Walker, a North Charlotte resident, said.
Community members say they are just tired of all the violence.
"It just hurts my heart," Walker said. "I don’t know the answer, but we need one."
"It's not really surprising, it is just devastating," another local resident said.
That homicide happened just hours after a shooting in south Charlotte. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said 29-year-old Reginald Averi Gilkesson was shot and killed on Atkins Circle Drive, near McAlpine Creek, early Sunday morning.
CMPD responded to two separate shootings Saturday. The first incident happened around 12:30 p.m. in southwest Charlotte. CMPD officers were asked to do a welfare check at a home on Peppervine Lane. When officers arrived, they found 34-year-old Justin Lavon Johnson shot to death.
On Sunday, CMPD arrested 48-year-old Lawrence Jackson in connection with Johnson's death. Jackson was charged with murder in the case.
The second Saturday shooting happened along Beatties Ford Road, near the intersection with Dr. Webber Avenue. Investigators said it happened sometime before 8 p.m. when officers heard gunshots near a large crowd of people. The victim was rushed to a hospital and is expected to recover. No arrests have been made in the case.
"Violence is a problem but if we do not address the issues that cause violence we are not going to solve the violence," Leondra Garrett said.
She is a site supervisor for Alternatives to Violence. The group was introduced by Charlotte city leaders back in 2021 to keep this violence out of local communities focused on the Beatties Ford corridor. She was quickly on the scene following Saturday night's shooting speaking to folks about alternative ways to solve their problems.
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"We’re out there talking to people about not retaliating and what it looks like not to go back and forth with guns," Garrett said. "We were able to talk to some of the young men and women out there."
ATV crews connect people with the resources they need for housing, food, school, jobs, and more with the goal to help folks stay on the right track. It's a mission close to Garrett’s heart.
"I used to live in the Beatties Ford Road community. I know what violence can do to communities. I know what poverty does to communities and I know what trauma does to communities," Garrett said. "My lived experience allows me to be close to the problem and now I can help solve that problem."
The violence interrupters especially work with high-risk youth helping them find better ways to handle their issues.
"Take 10 seconds and think about your actions because your actions are going to impact you and somebody else," Larry Mims, an outreach worker, said. "So take 10 and put the guns down."
They say it is about taking action and being part of the change they want to see.
"We are out here every day and consistency always wins," Mims said. "No matter what you do if you are consistent you are going to see some change."
ATV said they continue to foster relationships with the youth and members of the community. They work to address traumas some may have and say they are seeing progress within the community.
Anyone with information about any of these shootings is asked to call 704-432-TIPS to speak directly with homicide detectives. Witnesses may also call Charlotte Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. All calls to Crime Stoppers are anonymous.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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