CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One man is dead after police say a string of car break-ins early Monday morning lead to a shooting.
Investigators say this all happened at the WaterWalk extended stay suites in Southwest Charlotte.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) responded to the location on West Arrowood Road near Arrowpoint Boulevard, just before 4:20 a.m. Monday to find a man, later identified as 32-year-old Travoscia Brown, shot.
The victim died from his injuries at the scene, police said.
"There's no amount of this type of incident that's acceptable to me," CMPD Major Ryan Butler said shortly following the shooting. "What we believe preliminarily had occurred was there was some type of confrontation related to the cars getting broken into.... It is very early in the investigation. We are not looking for any suspects at this time.”
They would later charge 47-year-old John Joseph with second degree murder in Monday's deadly shooting. Investigators still haven't said if Joseph was the owner of one of the vehicles.
The shooting comes as the city continues to see an uptick in property crimes - up 14% from last year, according to CMPD's third quarter statistics. Auto thefts are up 125%.
The crimes have cost drivers thousands in repairs, insurance costs and, at times, the price of a new car.
Charlotteans like Donald Lester say they're taking steps to protect their property.
“I just make sure my car stays locked, windows up, park in a secure location," Lester said.
So, what rights do property owners have? Criminal Defense Attorney Mark Jetton, who's not connected to Monday's case, said the facts decide whether self defense played a role.
“You hear someone on the side of the street, or even in your driveway breaking in your car, can you pull out a rifle and shoot them and kill them? I think most legal folks would say to that, no," Jetton said. “On the other hand, if you're actually inside that vehicle, and you got someone breaking in, and they're being aggressive with you and hitting you and physically assaulting you to the point that you are in danger of your life, can you use lethal force or self-defense? I think most legal folks would say that's a pretty clear yes.”
As the investigation continues, police say they're looking for a peaceful resolution to stop the violence before it happens again by working with nonprofits and community groups to address some of the underlying causes that may lead a person to take part in these types of crimes.
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