CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A 17-year-old was killed and a 15-year-old was hurt in a shooting in east Charlotte Tuesday afternoon, police said.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police and Medic responded to a shooting in the 3700 block of Audrey Street, which is located east of Eastway Drive and north of Shamrock Drive, around 3 p.m. The incident happened in the Shamrock Garden Apartments complex.
When Medic arrived, they found two people who had been shot. One of the victims, 17-year-old Daikwan Deese, died at the scene. The other victim, who was listed as a 15-year-old on the police report, was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover.
The grandmother of the 15-year-old told WCNC Charlotte's Kayland Hagwood that the two victims were friends. She said they were shot by someone else who opened fire in the neighborhood. She confirmed her grandson is a student at Garinger High School.
"I was at home not knowing that this had happened to [my grandson,]" the grandmother recounted to Hagwood. "That's when I got the phone call from my daughter telling me that my grandson had been shot."
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools issued the following statement Wednesday afternoon:
"Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of numerous young lives in our community due to gun violence. Just recently, we learned about the unfortunate loss of another CMS student, and a student sustaining injuries.
The district has successfully implemented numerous safety measures within our schools. These measures include: installing cameras, weapon detection systems, anonymous reporting systems, employing School Resource Officers (SROs), and staff training. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools remains committed to safe school campuses.
We would like to partner with parents, families, school leaders, community leaders, religious leaders, and law enforcement to collaborate in eradicating gun violence in Mecklenburg County. The future of our entire community is being jeopardized as young lives are lost to gun violence.
It is crucial that we collectively take action. Our children deserve the opportunity to lead long, healthy, and joyful lives, and parents should not endure the heartbreak of losing a child. Let us join forces to make a tangible difference in ensuring the safety and well-being of our youth."
CMPD has not released any suspect information at this time or announced any arrests. The investigation remains in the early stages.
The grandmother has a message for who did this to her grandson.
"The only thing I can just say is, y'all are cowards," the grandmother said. "If you wanna settle something, get in a boxing ring. Put on some boxing gloves and do what we used to do back in the day. We didn't have to resort to guns. It's just senseless. For the people that did this, I hope you know that this is not over. You're gonna get caught."
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or http://charlottecrimestoppers.com/.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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